SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity

SSAFA enlisted our services at a time of great change. . British troops withdrawing from active conflict not only meant that the charities beneficiary demographic and landscape started to evolve significantly, but it also meant that the challenges faced by the British Armed Forces, veterans, and their families started to slip from the mainstream news agenda. The military charity sector was an incredibly crowded space, and with the plight of the armed forces community seeing reduced media coverage, SSAFA recognised that they needed to significantly enhance their profile in order to attract mainstream attention and garner the support they needed.

Building on their impressive legacy of over 130 years, SSAFA wanted to show the Armed Forces community that they were here to help. They tasked us with building a robust proactive PR strategy which would generate a consistent stream of high profile positive media coverage across the UK press. They also tasked us with building strong, long-term relationships with key defence journalists through sustained media relations.

Over a four-year campaign, we worked with the in SSAFA in-house press team to develop a programme of proactive PR activity which would enable us to target all key audiences – including beneficiaries, donors, mass consumers, and potential volunteers. Emotive, hard-hitting statistics, personal stories, and visual content helped to carry our messages to each audience group, raising brand awareness and audience engagement.

To complement an always-on press office, we also delivered multiple campaign moments including Left Behind, a powerful image-led campaign that raised awareness of the ongoing plight of bereaved armed forces families. Got Your Back, a celebrity-led press and social campaign that utilised celebrities to show support for the armed forces community. The Big Brew Up a celebrity-led fundraising campaign with actor Antony Cotton and Kate Wright and Women 100, a celebration of 100 years of women serving in the armed forces that brought together a group of incredible women who had all served.