Ahead of last weekend’s Remembrance Sunday, the Royal British Legion slightly altered its approach to how it engaged the public.
This year, the charity’s campaign urged people to ‘Rethink Remembrance’. Part of this effort was a short film featuring Second World War veterans reading out personal stories of combat and survival. There was a twist, however – the tales belonged to modern day army personnel.
The advert was part of an effort from the charity to re-enforce its message that there is always a new generation of veterans that need support and thought.
According to YouGov CharityIndex data, the Royal British Legion’s marketing efforts have been effective. The organisation’s Ad Awareness score (whether someone has seen the charity’s advert in the last fortnight) rose by 12 points since between early October and mid-November.
In general, the last month has been successful for the charity. Its Donation Consideration score (whether people would be likely to donate £1 to the charity) increased by 11 points over the course of the campaign, slightly up on this time last year.
However, there was also a rise in the number of people hearing something negative about the charity. This followed the controversy over the wearing of the poppy at the high-profile football match between England and Scotland, while some TV figures were chastised for not wearing a poppy at all. While it must be said that negative sentiment was heavily outnumbered by positive, there is a chance that such incidents might cloud the message that the charity is looking to convey.
All in all however, it has been a successful autumn for the Royal British Legion as it once again cements its place in the nation’s consciousness.
Image PA
