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29th January 2012
6,000 Say ‘Thanks, Soldier’ For Charity Online Campaign
Over 6,000 people, including Prime Minister David Cameron and the original forces sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn, participated in a moving tribute to the current generation of soldiers, adding their Facebook profile picture to an online Union Jack flag as part of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity successful digital campaign in December.
The ‘Thanks, Soldier’ campaign captured the imagination of its supporters across the UK and culminated in the magnificent finale on the White Cliffs of Dover. In just one month, the charity’s Facebook ‘Likes’ increased by 269% - from 8,962 at the start to 24,074. At the campaign’s peak there were 7,462 people talking about the ‘Thanks, Soldier’ campaign on Facebook. The campaign was reported on in The Sunday Mirror and The Times newspapers and named as Third Sector magazine’s Digital Campaign of the Week.
The campaign attracted stellar celebrity support; people who posted their images could search for their own pictures alongside those of Joanna Lumley, Gary Lineker, Dermot O’Leary, Sara Cox, Richard Hammond, Edith Bowman, Ben Sheppard, Fern Britton, Phil Spencer, Ben Fogle, Jason Manford and Kate Humble. Several politicians also signed up; as well as Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond, Lord Astor, Under Secretary of State and the Lords Spokesman on Defence and Defence Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy, Gerald Howarth MP added their faces and gave messages of support.
Although the campaign is over, visitors can still find their face on the flag and view pictures taken of the flag on Dover’s White Cliffs. To view For pictures of the flag & celebrity messages of support go to: http://www.soldierscharity.org/thanks Visitors to the webpage will see that not only Dame Vera Lynn sent a personal message of support to our soldiers, she has given permission for the charity to use her recording of the “(There’ll be bluebirds over)The White Cliffs of Dover” on its website.
The ‘Thanks, Soldier’ web page, designed by digital marketing agency Nonsense remained online for the first couple of weeks of the New Year. The Soldiers’ Charity Digital Communications Manager, Stephen Steele, says:
“Over 6,000 responses to our ‘Thanks, Soldier’ campaign is just fantastic. This flag is a symbol of the appreciation the nation has for our soldiers and the Armed Forces in general. As well as saying ‘Thanks, Soldier’, we’d like to say thank you to everyone who visited, added their faces and made it happen.”
Over the past year, The Soldiers’ Charity has supported over 80 specialist charities and some 4,000 individuals. It has seen a 12% increase in the number of grants to individuals and a 17% increase in the cost of grants to individuals. The charity’s oldest beneficiary during the year was 104 and the youngest was 18 months old. The average grant The Soldiers’ Charity makes is £800. To find out more about how we make a difference visit www.soldierscharity.org
For media enquiries and further information please contact Jackie Lloyd, PR Manager at The Soldiers’ Charity on 0845 241 4825 or jlloyd@soldierscharity.org
NOTES TO EDITOR
1. ABF The Soldiers’ Charity supports soldiers, former soldiers and their families in times of need. For information about The Soldiers’ Charity and how they support our soldiers visit www.soldierscharity.org
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