poppy appeal

When we began working with The Royal British Legion, their 'database' was a shoe box of scraps of paper with about 8,000 names on. Today, their active supporter base is around 800,000 and our campaigns, across a range of response media, raise about £30 million a year towards their work.

This year's Poppy Appeal included asking supporters to return a 'little remembrance cross' to remember someone who died in service, which would be planted in a special plot at Westminster Abbey. More than 60,000 crosses were planted (the most ever) and over £1 million raised (three times its target). Other Poppy Appeal activity included an iPhone app and a 'virtual poppy' you could add to your social media profiles.

Earlier in the same year we created a D-Day anniversary campaign that received national press coverage and PR, recruited over 20,000 new supporters and raised over £2 million. While our Flanders Field campaign won 'Best Use of Direct Mail' at the 2009 IOF Awards.