Lest we forget: We all understand what Remembrance Day is about. And we all know how important it is that we never forget. Keeping that message relevant is important instead of keeping to the same message every year, creatives around the world work hard to communicate why we should never forget. While my generation may have had parents, who shared experiences of life in WWII, and shared photos of their parents in WWI. Today’s youth needs to understand the terrible waste of life war is.

Before getting to the creatives let’s start with the Brand. We know why we all wear poppies, I know that it is vitally important to mark each and I read an interesting article about the Poppy in the context of a brand – a brand that has one of the most valuable in the world. Here’s why.

The Poppy Appeal has no competitor
Heavyweight brands have competitors, yet the Poppy Appeal dominates charitable activity on and around Remembrance Day.

The poppy is the one graphical identity for the brand
The single image of a flower represents remembrance internationally.

Millions of people wear a poppy for two for only weeks of the year
How many brands have the power to make millions of people buy and then proudly wear the same accessory as everyone else?

It has the value that all marketeers aspire to have; unquestioned importance
Every brand owner believes his or her brand is of critical importance to a consumer’s life. Perhaps the only other brand millions of consumers feel as important may be the likes of Apple. It’s an interesting consideration.

You have to appreciate its ability to engage the world for at least one day every year, now appreciate the below creative as I did when I researched it.

1 We're here because we're here I Nov 10, 2016

On 1 July 2016, thousands of volunteers took part in a modern memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. We’re here because we’re here saw around 1,400 voluntary participants dressed in First World War uniform appear unexpectedly in locations across the UK. Commissioned by 14-18 NOW. Conceived and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre.

2 Christmas is for sharing (Sainsbury’s Christmas advert, 1914 I Nov 12, 2014

Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago. This 2014 Christmas ad from Sainsbury’s – Christmas is for sharing. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion, it commemorates the extraordinary events of Christmas Day, 1914, when the guns fell silent and two armies met in no-man’s land, sharing gifts – and even playing football together. The chocolate bar featured in the ad was on sale now at Sainsbury’s. All profits (50p per bar) went go to The Royal British Legion and would benefit our armed forces and their families, past and present.

3 Unforgotten Soldiers 2016 I 2016

For the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli, (New Zealand's first significant WWI campaign) History Channel wanted to keep the memory alive. Unforgotten Soldiers brought a black-and-white WWI picture to life on the streets of Auckland. The 8-hour performance was based on real soldier’s stories and an authentic soundscape brought their memories flooding back. It also tripled the usual donations for the Returned Service Association’s annual appeal in just one day.

4 Pages Of The Sea I Nov 2018

Thousands of people joined Danny Boyle to say thank you and goodbye to the millions who left their shores during the First World War, many never to return. Across the UK and Ireland communities gathered on beaches for a unique moment marking 100 years since armistice.

5 Facebook 1914, Musée de la Grande Guerre à Meaux I Nov 2013

DDB did not create a usual brand page about history, but a page that looked like a personal profile: Leon Vivien’s one. An ordinary young guy torn apart from his family to be thrown into WW1’s slaughter. And day after day, week after week, we told his life through hundreds of posts illustrated by dozens of documents picked from the museum collection.

6 Knitting Banksy I Nov 2021

A life-sized knitted replica of a soldier has appeared at a war memorial in Syston, Leicestershire, Press Association has reported. The work has been placed next to the War Memorial Clock Tower by an anonymous artist who has been dubbed Knitting Banksy. Much like Banksy, the identity of the artist is not known, but has created a level of fame and fascination due to her knitted creations.

7 Poppies: Wave I Sept 2018

A sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads suspended on towering stalks. The multi award winning IWM North brings the national collection of Imperial War Museums to northern audiences. Designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind to represent a globe shattered by conflict, the iconic building, innovative and dynamic exhibitions and public events explore how war shapes lives and inspires and encourages debate.

8 British military charity blends past, present in annual campaign I Oct 2015

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R created the poster ads, which include the line, "Your poppy doesn’t only help the service men and women of the past." The photos were shot by Tom Reeves using the same camera and techniques that his grandfather used to take pictures of soldiers during the Great War.

9 'Remember Andy Murray, Remember Tom Jones, Remember Harry ...' I Oct 2015

It’s not the Andy Murray who won the 2013 Wimbledon title, it’s the one who died in 1915. That name, along with Harry Styles, Tom Jones, Alex Ferguson and Gordon Brown are famous in the U.K. and around the world, but they also share the monikers with the fallen fighters of the First World War. The Royal British Legion and agency RKCR/Y&R are using these coincidental circumstances to help promote an online campaign to commemorate each and every of the more than million Commonwealth serviceman who died as a result of WWI.

10 Rethink Remembrance I 2017

The Royal British Legion is asking the nation to Rethink Remembrance by recognising the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces community, past and present. Against a narration of the war poem 'In Flanders Fields', the spot shows animated poppy seedlings slowly sprout from the ground in everyday settings, symbolising the ubiquity of the organisation and those it supports. The seeds grow gradually, cracking through the floor of a swimming pool concourse, a doctor’s clinic and café, as they bud and burst to life. The advert concludes as hundreds of poppies flourish into full bloom in a London park, reflecting the iconic Flanders Field as a symbol of Remembrance.

11 Rethink Remembrance I 2016

This veteran wanted a long career in the Army, but they were medically discharged after being injured by friendly fire. This year The Royal British Legion is asking the nation to rethink Remembrance. For many, Remembrance is associated with the fallen of the First and Second World Wars. While we will always remember them, the Legion wants to raise awareness of a new generation of veterans and Service personnel that need our support.

and 12 (I had to include this one) Rethink Remembrance I 2016

The Battle of the Somme, which ran from 01 July – 18 November 1916, was one of the most difficult and costly battles of the First World War. The Somme by Molly Case shows the effect that the battle had on just one pub, an effect that was felt across the UK.

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