Careful, it’s fragile. How the war made all communications sensitive

Sensitivity, appropriateness, and ethics in communications are no longer features of a particular topic but necessities in an environment where every human experience is permeated by the experience of war. Each audience can react to a particular message in its own way, and an unsuccessfully chosen visual or mood in communication can touch a nerve and provoke aggression or disgust.

When solving a communication problem, it is important to maintain empathy to not rub salt in the wound. The plusone social impact communication agency shares its experience of how to build human and sensitive campaigns, taking into account the reality in which millions of Ukrainians live. 

Return of veterans

Currently, there are more than a million female and male veterans in Ukraine, and after the victory, the number of veterans and their families may increase to 5-6 million. This is a huge part of Ukrainian society that has gone through hardships defending the country. When communicating any veteran topic, it is important to be careful about the meanings: instead of support, careless wording can bring a person back to a traumatic memory.

How can we talk about this sensitively so as not to make things worse for the military and their loved ones? Respectfully and attentively rely on the reality they live through. Each veteran has his or her own story and experience, but the condition after demobilization is common: most do not feel like they are finally coming home, and the war leaves a deep mark on their lives. It is up to the veteran to decide what this path will be. But he should not walk it alone, but with the support of society, and this is what should be emphasized.

Mental health

Whereas mental health used to be shrouded in stigma and stereotypes, today it is more often discussed in public. First of all, because the war affects almost every Ukrainian, regardless of gender, age, or social status: according to surveys, in the third year of the invasion, Ukrainians are experiencing stress, fatigue, and tension.

And while we are seeing more discussion of mental health, for certain categories, such as men, this topic is still taboo. Due to stigma, men are not used to talking about their problems, allegedly to avoid “showing weakness”. In such cases, it is worth communicating not directly, but bypassing such pitfalls. For example, the campaign “Be a Friend. Be a Friend to Yourself” campaign avoids direct calls to action, but rather makes you think. We decided to address the topic through the insight of friendship: if we care about our friends and are ready to support them, why not become such a friend to ourselves?

Children’s education

The war has taken away the opportunity for children to be carefree: fear due to constant shelling, parents at the front, interrupted school classes due to air raids, and friends moving to other countries. Such childhood is a sensitive topic, and what will happen to our children in the future is even more sensitive because it is about the unknown. Any planning in the context of war is triggering: you never know what will happen tomorrow, let alone in a few years. Rational thinking suggests that there is no point in thinking about the future, and we need to focus on the here and now. But this challenge can be worked with.

When communicating the high school reform, which will become a core reform in a few years, we decided to engage parents emotionally rather than rationally. In this way, we showed how the reform will allow children to freely choose what to study and enjoy their profession in the future. After all, the children’s future will eventually come, and it depends on our current preparation whether it will be full and happy.

Preservation of cultural heritage

Previously, the topic of cultural heritage was perceived as something rather abstract and niche: for the conversations of academics, archaeologists, or cultural critics. Nowadays, the preservation of cultural monuments is of concern to many Ukrainians, primarily because of the massive scale of damage to churches, theatres, and museums caused by Russian missiles. It is also because all these buildings are a reflection of national identity, which is being particularly sharply understood and redefined by society. So to preserve it means to preserve your roots and history, to understand yourself better.

At the same time, when calling for the preservation of cultural heritage, it is important to take into account vulnerable audiences for whom this topic touches on their wounds. For example, some people were forced to leave their homelands, some have nothing left to preserve, and for others, their heritage is intertwined with the Russian context and causes internal conflict. Instead, we want to show Ukrainians that our heritage is not only in local history museums but in our everyday lives and families. It is right next door, at arm’s length, wherever you are: in the stories of our grandmothers, homemade family recipes, old photos, and embroideries on pillows. But even if you lose your material heritage, you can still preserve it – to capture your memories from the past or create new family “treasures” to pass on to others in the future. First and foremost, each of us is a carrier and creator of heritage, and even in the most difficult times, we can create our meanings.

Sensitivity in communications is not about pity or sympathy, but about humanity: seeing not an audience, but a specific person, with their pain and difficulties. When preparing any campaign with a bright or provocative idea, it is important to remember that we never know what kind of experience a person who sees our product is going through and what emotions it will touch. And it is the responsibility of communicators to understand and support Ukrainians, not to add to their already difficult situation.