• by Fern Siegel , October 18, 2023

Sometimes, showing support can be a simple as wearing a symbol.

The Royal British Legion has launched a new multichannel campaign — "What They Won't Tell You" — to create a connection between the audience and the Armed Forces community. That connection encourages the public to wear a poppy.

The work reveals stories of the Armed Forces community that are personal, such as what it means to engage in combat when your survival isn't assured.

Global creative agency Leagas Delaney created the work. Bicycle is handling media planning and buying.

The nationwide U.K. campaign debuts with a TV spot during "Coronation Street," as well as running in ITV's main channels in October. Online content includes short films in which veterans express how they feel when they see the poppy.

"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," said Tim Delaney, chairman, Leagas Delaney.

The broadcast campaign is reinforced by long and short-form organic social videos in which military personnel share their experiences, including those they have never discussed.

Rebecca Warren, director, marketing and communications, the Royal British Legion, said:"Our campaign for 2023 encourages the nation to understand and appreciate that a life of service often comes with difficulties and dangers. Our strategy is to serve as a springboard into Remembrance and the Poppy Appeal."

The Poppy Appeal is held every November and is Royal British Legion’s biggest fundraising campaign. The campaign is a precursor to that event to highlight Armistice Day, Nov. 11.

The poppy saga began when Lt Col. John McCrae, a brigade surgeon in WWI spotted a cluster of poppies after the Second Battle of Ypres. Struck by the red blooms, his poem "In Flanders Field" was published on both sides of the Atlantic. American and French women lobbied the American Legion to have a silk poppy represent remembrance. In November 1921, the newly founded (Royal) British Legion held its first Poppy Appeal to help find employment and housing for Great War veterans.