How do you bring youthful energy to a venerable institution?
Challenge
A few years ago, not-for-profit veteran support organisation RSL NSW was facing serious hardship. Membership had fallen every year since 1982, halving over the previous decade to just 20,000. Only 9% of members were under 55 and the average age was 78. A third were older than the average Australian life expectancy, and fewer than 1000 members were younger than 40.
Our approach
Two distinctive campaigns generated a strategic messaging blitz. In 2022, our campaign highlighted the importance of ANZAC Day, the role of RSL NSW in staging ANZAC Day commemorations, and the threat RSL NSW’s falling membership posed to ANZAC Day commemorations.
In 2023, we built upon the fact that almost every Australian is connected to someone who served, so we called on everyone to Check on a Mate and reach out to veteran friends and family ahead of ANZAC Day.
What we did next
We built both campaigns around high-profile ambassadors and younger veterans. We:
- Crafted a media strategy centred on tier-one coverage
- Organised on-site media visits and opportunities
- Coordinated interviews for key talent with leading print, online and broadcast outlets
- Created multimedia press kits featuring punchy radio grabs and photoshoot images
- Sent hundreds of pitches to outlets across the state.
“The Mahlab team immediatelyunderstood the challengewe were facing and put forward a strategic approach that deliveredresults well above our expectations.”
Trina Constable, Head of Communications,
Marketing and Membership, RSL NSW
Across 2022 and 2023, these ANZAC Day campaigns secured:
190+ positive, on-message articles
25 pieces in tier-one publications
A total reach of almost 130 million unique views
But most importantly, the campaigns smashed expectations for attracting new, younger members to RSL NSW.
Hundreds of new members signed up immediately after our campaign, outstripping our expectations more than sixfold, and helping lower the average age of the membership from 78 to 57. This has helped secure the future of RSL NSW and its essential services for decades to come.