The courses are available to everyone from serving RAF personnel and other people working alongside them, to veterans, partners, widow(er)s and families. They offer practical help for improving participants’ own mental wellbeing, as well as showing how to spot the signs that friends, family members or colleagues might be suffering, and providing the tools to support them through it.

Campaign brand workshop

IE Brand led a workshop with key RAFA stakeholders to agree on the scope of the campaign. The charity asked us to create compelling campaign messaging that would gently provoke their audiences to consider whether they or someone they know may be suffering with their mental health. We needed to let them know that help is on hand through these courses, share details of how to enrol, and tell them what to expect on the day.

The campaign needed a strong visual signature that, over time, people would recognise whenever RAFA is talking to them about mental health – considering future activities above and beyond the courses.

They first needed to recognise that they’re struggling, trust that their participation would be confidential and worth their time, research their nearest venue and find a suitable date. They might need to take time off work, arrange childcare, and travel several miles to access this support. So that we could grow awareness and ensure a good uptake for the courses, we needed a catchy and thought-provoking campaign. Most importantly, we needed to show that we really understood what RAF families are going through, and the pressures they are under.

Although serving personnel would be welcomed on the courses, the primary audiences were people in the wider RAF family. IE Brand identified four different audience types who might benefit from the courses and created a unique character and story for each.

Each of our four handwritten stories helps the reader to get to know the person and empathise with them, in a situation typical of RAF life.

• Keith – a widower who has moved around a lot with his RAF wife, and is feeling lonely since her death without a strong support network.
• Laura – a young mum whose partner Simon is serving in the RAF.
• Raj – a 40-something RAF veteran who is struggling to adapt to life in a 9-5 job back on civvy street.
• Hannah – a contractor on an RAF base, feeling concerned about some of her colleagues.

Each story is densely written and conversational, told through distinctive handwriting like a personal letter to an old friend. It’s not necessary for people to read every word – although the intriguing stories will draw some people in – but the stories demonstrate that RAFA understands what it’s like to walk in their shoes. The rest of the campaign visuals feature phrases that tap into people’s fears of admitting they're struggling, using distinctive typography and phrases crossed out to show what they’re REALLY saying.

Once the reader has recognised something of themselves in a story, they can click through to the campaign landing page to find out more about the courses and how to enrol.

 Although the courses had originally been conceived to be delivered in a face-to-face training environment, RAFA had to re-orient the campaign in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its resulting lockdowns and social distancing guidelines. The courses were therefore made available online. 

The campaign was originally shared through postcard mailings, advertising in the RAFA magazine, and through RAFA's social media channels. But following the 2020 pandemic, the courses – which had originally been conceived to be delivered in a face-to-face training environment – had to move online. With the hope that in-person courses may be resumed at a later point.

The RAF Association then went on to create a series of campaign videos, with narration from IE's scripts: