2011 Gold Public sector and charity | DMA
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2011 Gold Public sector and charity

01 Dec 2011

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Client The Royal British Legion

What is wonderful about this work? We created new ways for supporters to engage with the Little Remembrance Cross campaign, to encourage active remembering and giving to the Royal British Legion. The cold campaign achieved up to 3% response, with an exceptional ROI of 0.95. The warm campaign response was 43.52%, making £2,197,767 (three times the 2008 figure), with an overall ROI of 4.12.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The Royal British Legion is the nation’s custodian of remembrance. Most think of them as the charity behind the Poppy Appeal, in remembrance of fallen soldiers from the two world wars. To thrive in the 21st century, the Legion needed to update its story and appeal to younger supporters. We created new, more interactive ways to engage with the cause and presented the needs of today’s serving soldiers, particularly those injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. We had to do this without alienating the traditional (and still very valuable) older audiences interested in remembrance and older conflicts. The Little Remembrance Cross campaign was first devised 10 years ago and is now a significant source of new donors. The challenge every year is to revitalise it to keep regular supporters engaged and recruit new ones to the cause.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? We created three special plots at the Field of Remembrance in Westminster Abbey, dedicated to those who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Legion arranged for a cross with the name, age and picture of each service person who died in those conflicts to be planted in the plots. The campaign really captured the media’s attention; the personalised crosses were used on many national front pages. This year we created a new Field of Remembrance in Royal Wootton Bassett, the small Wiltshire town made famous by its role in the repatriation of troops killed in Afghanistan. We included the story of Amanda Binney, widow of a soldier killed in the conflict, and used moving images of other men who lost their lives. There are now over 12 variants to the campaign and copy has changed to reflect topical events such as the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One and the 25th anniversary of the Falklands.

Results Overall the campaign has been a great success, achieving the Legion’s best-ever income and record numbers of returned crosses. The cold campaign recruited over 8,000 new supporters. In addition, the press coverage of the event at Royal Wootton Bassett brought the British Legion free PR worth thousands – we invited Prince Harry, who planted one of our crosses in remembrance of a friend who had been killed.

Judge's comment:“The craft skills were very strong. Everybody commented on the strength of the copy – it was compassionate and beautifully written. It’s an old idea made relevant for a modern world by picking up on the current cultural trend.” Caitlin Ryan, Proximity London

Team Ian Atkinson – Creative Director, Ed Swarbrick – Senior Art Director, Lizzie Owen-Thomas – Senior Copywriter, Nick Thomas – Creative Consultant, Sue Byde – Senior Account Director, Hannah Bridgeman – Account Manager

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