Royal British Legion launches ‘What They Won’t Tell You’ campaign

The Royal British Legion, in partnership with the global creative agency Leagas Delaney and media planning and buying agency Bicycle, has launched a new campaign, 'What They Won't Tell You'.

It seeks to authentically unveil the stories and experiences of the Armed Forces community, sharing aspects of their service that often go unspoken. It aims to foster an emotional connection between the audience and the Armed Forces community, inspiring the public to demonstrate their support by wearing a poppy.

The story builds further with a series of short films in which veterans and serving personnel share the significance of seeing others wearing the poppy.

The broadcast campaign is reinforced by a series of both long and short-form organic social videos. These videos feature roundtable discussions involving the veterans and serving personnel as they share their experiences and the effect their service had on them, stories which they have previously found hard to speak of.

Rebecca Warren, director: marketing and communications, the Royal British Legion, said: “It can be difficult for us to imagine the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces community. Our campaign for 2023 encourages the nation to understand and appreciate that a life of service often comes with difficulties and dangers, some of which can be hard for veterans and serving personnel to talk about. Our strategy for this campaign is to serve as a springboard into Remembrance and the Poppy Appeal – building an emotional connection between the nation and our Armed Forces in advance of the Appeal beginning.”

Tim Delaney, chairman, Leagas Delaney, said: "It’s our continuing belief that to engage the public's interest in the Royal British Legion, we must first make them care about the selfless dedication of the Armed Forces. This campaign highlights the bravery and stoicism shown by members of the Armed Forces community, giving the viewer a unique insight into their stories and experiences of service that often otherwise go unspoken”.

Credits

Creative: Tim Delaney
Director: Jay Clark
Photographer: Jay Clark
Director of Photography: Oliver Lockett & Matt Riley
Production Company: Crossfire
Managing Partner: Glenn Paton
Business Director: Benedict Hatvany
Voiceover: Scott Joseph
Clients: Gary Ryan, Rebecca Warren, Claire Timlett, Ben Anderson
Offline editor: Al Sinclair
Post Production: The Mill