Why Trinity Mirror wants you to plan for death at The Drum’s Plan It Day on Thursday

Facing up to the fact we’re all going to kick the bucket, meet our maker and push up the daisies is not something any of us relish. We resort to euphemism because, let’s be honest, no one likes talking about death.

And that’s a problem. Because by not acknowledging and preparing for the inevitable, we risk burdening those we leave behind with even greater heartache.

It is this thinking that has led Trinity Mirror to set one of the most eye-catching creative challenges for The Drum’s fast-approaching Plan It Day event, which will see marketers and creative teams come together this Thursday in London to solve some of the biggest issues facing businesses, communities and the world at large.

Trinity Mirror’s brief will challenge those present to ‘Take the taboo out of death so that people can start planning for it’.

Group marketing director Zoe Harris said the publisher was inspired to set the challenge because “it’s an increasing concern for our readers”, with issues around wills and life insurance being a recurring topic of its papers’ editorial coverage.

“The purpose of our challenge is to find new ways to really make people not just think about [death], but think about it and do something,” said Harris.

To that end, Harris will be looking for the teams tackling the brief at Plan It Day to come up with an arresting campaign that inspires action. And she is ready to throw the might of the Trinity Mirror operation behind it to make it come to life for real.

“I think we’re looking for something quite provocative. We expect that we’ll need something that really surprises people. The power of marketing brains alongside editorial brains can get to something really special that can provoke people into action.

“We’ve got a huge reach. This is a Trinity Mirror thing so it’s in the Mirror and some of our regional titles as well. It’s a campaign that can really capture the imagination of Britain at large to do something. So it’s really about understanding how to communicate and connect with the mass market to do something that is relevant and resonates with them.”

The aim of Plan It Day is to dream up inspiring ideas – for marketing campaigns and perhaps even products – which can be brought to life for real on Do It Day on 2 November. And Harris is convinced this brief can make a real difference to many people.

“It’ll be great to get some different brains on it and make this something that can have a genuine impact on people’s lives at what is obviously the most difficult time. We see it as a really important thing.”

If you want to help solve some of the hardest, most unique and rewarding briefs of your career, sign up for tickets to Thursday’s event on the Do It Day website. The Drum will also be running a live blog during Plan it Day on its homepage to keep readers up to date with the action.