CorpComms Magazine

In the run-up to Remembrance Sunday, the media often focus on tales of heroism and sacrifice from the two world wars of the last century. This presents a challenge to the Royal British Legion, a charity supporting veterans of all conflicts that needs to stay relevant to today's audience.

The highlight of the Legion's campaigning is its annual Poppy Appeal, and this November the charity embraced digital media in a big way to keep its message current. In one example, Facebook users were able to display the poppy on their profile page using an application developed by communications agency BPL Marketing.

'Social networks are a great opportunity for charities,' says Stephen Foxworthy, account director at the agency. 'While brands are often met with cynicism online, charities can benefit because people are prepared to declare their affiliation to a good cause.'

Facebook is also used predominantly by young people. 'Many people associate the Poppy Appeal with veterans from the first and second world wars, and not with the ongoing welfare work of the Legion,' explains Foxworthy. 'Facebook is a great place to connect with young people and show them that the Legion supports ex-service personnel of all ages. At the height of the campaign there were around 48,000 active users of the poppy application, and the majority of them were aged 18-35.'

Poppy culture

While many widgets on Facebook cost money to use, the poppy application was kept free. 'We wanted it to be an awareness-raising tool,' says Stuart Gendall, director of corporate communications at the Legion. 'We wanted to create something that friends would pass on to each other and encourage people who didn't know much about us to take a closer look.'

Raising awareness of the sacrifices made by servicemen and women is one role of the British Legion, but the charity also financially supports those whose welfare needs are not met by the army. To help boost donations, digital poppies could also be downloaded as a mobile phone background for £1.50. 'The mobile phone poppy was very popular this year, with 50,000 downloaded,' adds Gendall. 'That's 20,000 more than last year.'

In 2006, the Legion offered digital poppy downloads to mobiles along with the opportunity to phone in and listen to a two-minute silence. The popularity of the two campaigns showed the Legion that there were plenty of people who wanted to take part in remembrance but didn't want to be involved in a big group event or come to London's Cenotaph.

'We didn't end up using the phone-in two-minute silence again, but it got us thinking about the use of electronic networks and virtual worlds because they are bringing in audiences who want to 'wear' the poppy in a different space,' notes Gendall.

Life experience

For those who wanted a more comprehensive digital experience, this year a virtual remembrance ceremony took place in the online world of Second Life, a 3D world inhabited by internet users, who appear as creations known as 'avatars'.

Rivers Run Red, a design consultancy, created an island in Second Life and donated it to the British Legion. 'The island has a giant poppy field featuring a recreation of the Cenotaph, correct in every detail,' says Justin Bovington, chief executive of Rivers Run Red. 'The idea was that on Remembrance Sunday people could place a poppy on their avatar, come to the ceremony and reflect in their own way.'

The virtual world also gave ex-servicemen who find it difficult to attend ceremonies in real life the chance to participate over the remembrance period. 'We heard from a quadriplegic serviceman who had never been able to go to the Cenotaph itself,' reports Gendall. 'But he had an avatar on Second Life and so was able to attend the ceremony online, which was really brilliant.'

For Gendall, the British Legion is a leader among charities in its use of digital media. 'I think we are blazing a trail - but we have to, as every year we face the same communication challenges,' he says. 'The charity is meeting the needs of new veterans, not just those from the first and second world wars, and we need to reinforce that message.'

Gendall points to this year's emphasis on the Falklands conflict. 'It occurred over 25 years ago, which makes it older than many of the people on Facebook, and we really need to catch some of those people,' he explains.

The popularity of the Facebook poppy bodes well for the Legion's future - which is just as well, because the current conflicts in Iraq and particularly Afghanistan seem likely to rumble on for some time to come.

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