BFBS Creative

"Planning and spontaneity aren't opposites." 🎬 That idea shaped every stage of our latest project for @royalairforceuk Specialist Recruitment. Across seven locations in the UK and Cyprus, we created six films following engineers at different stages of their careers. The goal wasn't just to show what they do, but to tell the stories behind the roles. In our latest article, Video Producer Leon Leenders goes behind the scenes, sharing the creative decisions, planning and filmmaking that brought the project to life. Read the full article: creative.bfbs.com/filming-intent… #TheCommsDispatch #VideoProduction #RecruitmentMarketing #Defence #Storytelling @RAF_Recruitment

Will the UK’s under-16 social media ban change children’s behaviour? Maybe, but it depends which behaviour you’re trying to change. When people talk about children and social media, the conversation usually starts with screen time. But an hour online could mean chatting with friends, doing homework, listening to music, gaming or scrolling social media. The minutes are the same, but the motivations are very different. Our latest article looks beyond screen time to explore how digital activity fits into childhood, why motivation matters more than the platform, and what communicators can learn from it. Read the full article on our website: creative.bfbs.com/will-uks-under… #AudienceInsight #BehaviourChange #ChildrenAndYoungPeople #DigitalBehaviour

Congratulations to everyone involved 👏🏽 It was a privilege for us to work alongside the British Army and subject matter experts on a guide that will support servicewomen preparing for arduous military training.

"...a first for UK Defence..." That's how @CalvinBailey MBE MP, Minister for Veterans and People, described the @BritishArmy 's new Science of Human Performance guide, which we helped bring to life. Working alongside the British Army and subject matter experts, we developed the copy, editorial structure and visual design, helping transform complex scientific research into practical guidance for servicewomen preparing for arduous military training. The guide brings together evidence-based advice on training, nutrition, sleep, recovery, hormone health, injury prevention and kit, helping to close the historic gender data gap in military performance research. More importantly, it gives servicewomen access to guidance designed around their physiology, helping them prepare for the physical demands of arduous training with greater confidence and understanding. Projects like this are why we do what we do: helping the UK Armed Forces communicate important information in ways that are clear, practical and easy to apply. Thank you to the British Army and everyone involved for partnering with us on a project with such an important purpose. It was a privilege to be involved. Learn more about how the guide was developed below 👇🏽 🔗 creative.bfbs.com/arduous-traini… #Defence #BritishArmy #Servicewomen #ArduousTraining #EditorialDesign #GraphicDesign

If you're an experienced self shooting producer / director then have I got an exciting role for you. The @BFBSCreative team is looking for its next Senior Creative. You'll work with a talented team, get to travel the world, and work on projects that genuinely have purpose. You can find the role on the BFBS Opportunities website (which X's algorithm will punish if I link to it directly!)

Looking for your next chapter, or know someone who is? Ready to join a specialist communications agency creating work that informs, connects and delivers real-world impact? 🎥 We're looking for a Senior Creative, Video & Self-Shooting Producer/Director to join our Content team at BFBS Creative. This is a senior role for an experienced self-shooting Producer/Director who thrives on taking projects from concept through to final delivery. You'll shape creative ideas, self-shoot, direct, present and edit compelling content, while mentoring others and leading productions across editorial, marketing and commercial projects. You'll also have opportunities to work across the UK and internationally. Could this be your next challenge? We'd love to hear from you. 📍 Chalfont St Peter (Hybrid) 💼 Full-time | Permanent 🗓 Applications close 28 July 2026 🔗 about.bfbs.com/opportunities Know someone who'd be a great fit? Feel free to share this opportunity with them. #Hiring #CreativeJobs #VideoProduction #ProducerDirector #Videography #ContentCreation #CreativeCareers #Defence

Agreeing to an interview is only the start. People need to know what they’re saying yes to. When someone trusts us with a difficult or deeply personal experience, how we approach that conversation matters. Trauma-informed interviewing is about creating the conditions for people to feel safe, respected and in control of their story, from the first conversation to what happens after the interview. In this article, Caroline Robbins explores what trauma-informed interviewing means in practice, and why the best stories aren’t taken from people. They’re told with them. Read the full article ↓ creative.bfbs.com/Before-the-Sto… #TraumaInformed #EthicalStorytelling #Communications #TheCommsDispatch

What does esports really look like across the Armed Forces? 🎮 That’s what ‘Get to Know’, a new six-part series we produced for @bfbsesports, sets out to explore. From Bristol and Portsmouth to RAF Lossiemouth, Junior Video Producer Tom Hattam, working alongside Video Producer Leon Leenders, spent time with the serving personnel and veterans helping military esports grow. And there were plenty of stories to tell: → Building communities from scratch → Finding connection after leaving service → Creating more opportunities for women in esports → Challenging perceptions → Supporting people through difficult times Each feature focuses on a different person, team or community. Together, they show a much bigger picture of the role esports is playing across the Armed Forces. Meet the people behind the headset 🎮 Here’s a teaser of what’s to come and to watch the first feature, head to YouTube via the link below: youtu.be/2Adv-yuaRrk?si… #ArmedForces #Esports #MilitaryEsports #VideoProduction @BritArmyesports @RAF_Esports @RoyalNavyEsport

Kit makes the headlines. People make the capability. The Defence Investment Plan is a significant investment in the future of UK defence. But capability isn't built by equipment alone. Behind every drone, ship and AI-enabled system are the people who operate it, maintain it and make it effective. Our latest article explores why recruitment, retention and the lived experience of service are just as important as procurement. 🔗 Read the full article, 🔎 creative.bfbs.com #Defence #DefenceInvestmentPlan #StrategicCommunications #Military #ArmedForces #DefenceIndustry #Communications

How do you help potential recruits see what's possible through a highly specialised engineering career? That's what @RoyalAirForce Specialist Recruitment asked us to help with. For Vehicle & Mechanical Equipment Technicians, that meant looking beyond the equipment itself and showcasing the experiences, opportunities and career pathways the role can offer. One day could involve maintaining a generator. The next might mean working on a specialist vehicle or preparing equipment for deployment overseas. For the people we met, it has meant developing specialist skills, travelling the world and contributing to operations that make a real difference. For our Video Producer, Leon Leenders, and Junior Video Producer, Tom Hattam, the project highlighted just how diverse the role can be, from technical problem-solving and specialist equipment to travel and deployment around the world. This video forms part of RAF Specialist Recruitment's wider recruitment campaign and is featured on the RAF Recruitment website to help prospective candidates better understand the role. Want to learn more about the role? You can watch the full video here: lnkd.in/e4yu4zht Not every project starts with a fully formed brief. If you're exploring an idea, tackling a challenge or trying to solve a communications problem, we'd love to help. 📩 Get in touch at creative@bfbs.com #RAF #EngineeringCareers #Recruitment #DefenceCommunications #Engineering @RAF_Recruitment

The country is dangerous. My street is fine. Research shows many people hold both views at the same time. So what does that tell us about how perceptions are formed? If you're trying to build trust, influence behaviour or engage an audience, understanding what people believe can be just as important as understanding the facts. Explore our latest article on our website: 🔗creative.bfbs.com/our-thinking #SocialResearch #AudienceInsight #BehaviouralInsights #PublicOpinion #Communications

How do you attract engineering talent to highly specialised roles? That's what @RoyalAirForce Specialist Recruitment asked us to help with. With demand for engineering specialists continuing to grow, the challenge wasn't simply to explain what these trades involve. It was to help potential recruits see beyond the job title. The technology. The qualifications. The travel. The professional development. The opportunities that come with a career like this. To do that, our team travelled across the UK and overseas, listening to engineers at different stages of their careers and helping tell their stories. Through those conversations, we heard about careers shaped by advanced technology, recognised qualifications, travel, sport, adventure training and professional development. As our Video Producer, Leon Leenders, and Junior Video Producer, Tom Hattam, discovered, no two stories were the same. Every person they met had a different reason for joining and a different perspective on what the role had given them. Drawing on those conversations, we created three hero films and three bespoke social videos designed to help future recruits see what's possible through a career in RAF engineering. This is the first film in that series, focusing on Advanced Manufacture & Repair. 🎥 Here's how we helped tell that story. Not every project starts with a fully formed brief. If you're exploring an idea, tackling a challenge or trying to solve a communications problem, we'd love to help. 📩 Get in touch at creative@bfbs.com #DefenceCommunications #StrategicCommunications #Recruitment #EngineeringCareers #RAF @RAF_Recruitment

Being yourself should not come at a cost. In the latest edition of The Comms Dispatch, we revisit two episodes of our podcast, The Culture Colonel, hosted by Lindsay MacDuff, sharing reflections from Dougie Morgan and Adam Powney on: → the consequences of being forced to hide → what changes when people can be themselves → the role culture still plays in whether people truly feel they belong Read the latest edition below ↓ creative.bfbs.com/cost-hiding-an… 🔎Search 'The Culture Colonel' wherever you get your podcasts. #Pride #Belonging #OrganisationalCulture #ArmedForces

How do you communicate with audiences who don't trust anything? Not government. Not institutions. Not traditional media. And increasingly, not what they see online either. That's the challenge many communicators face today. Trust is harder to earn. Attention is harder to hold. And audiences are constantly navigating competing narratives, opinions and experiences. In this short video, Tom O'Kelly explores why credibility increasingly comes from authenticity, lived experience and peer validation rather than institutional authority. Understanding who your audience trusts is becoming just as important as understanding what you want to say. 📖 Download the free report: creative.bfbs.com/ri-report-info… #StrategicCommunications #AudienceInsight #ResearchAndInsight #Trust #CommunicationsStrategy

🎮 If nearly 70% of people in the UK play games, what does that mean for recruitment? It's a question that militaries around the world have been exploring for years. From America's Army and Twitch streams to esports teams and Fortnite collaborations, gaming is increasingly being discussed as a way to engage younger audiences. But attention isn't the same as recruitment. So where does gaming genuinely add value, and what needs to be considered before turning attention into recruitment? Our latest article explores what gaming and esports can realistically offer Armed Forces recruitment, where they add value, and where they work best as part of a broader strategy. Read more ⬇️ creative.bfbs.com/not-cheat-code… #ArmedForces #Recruitment #Gaming #Esports

What if winning the argument for more defence spending was never the hard part? New @YouGov polling shows 56% of the British public want defence spending increased. Just 6% want it cut. That support holds across almost every group, which is incredibly rare. Only 18-24 year olds and Green voters break from that pattern. However, the moment you ask how to pay for it, the consensus collapses. We've pulled out what the findings mean for defence communicators. Is the challenge convincing people to back defence, or convincing them to carry the cost? Visit our LinkedIn page to see the full post: linkedin.com/company/bfbscr… Source polling: YouGov survey of 2,076 GB adults, fieldwork 23–24 April 2026 lnkd.in/ee2_zSqF #Defence #StrategicCommunications #AudienceInsight

🇱🇻 Two days in Riga. Dozens of speakers. Hundreds of conversations. So, what were the key themes emerging from Day 2 of NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence Riga StratCom Dialogue? 1️⃣ Automation AI is rapidly changing the economics of communication. Campaigns that once required significant resource can now be created, adapted and distributed at a scale that was previously impossible. The challenge is that scale and effectiveness are not the same thing. As communication becomes easier to create, it also becomes easier to flood the information environment with content, noise and competing narratives. 2️⃣  Resilience In an environment where influence can be generated at machine speed, resilience becomes increasingly important. As 🇺🇦 Yaroslav Turbil put it, societies need to invest in their information "immune system", helping people identify manipulation and misinformation for themselves, rather than relying on it being debunked after the fact. 3️⃣  Shared reality As AI-generated content becomes more accessible and information increasingly personalised, understanding what's real, what's trustworthy and who to trust is becoming more complex. 4️⃣  Strategic initiative Tetiana Haiduchyk described this as the ability to defend the information environment proactively, rather than simply responding to it. 💡 Beneath many of these discussions was a broader question: As AI becomes more capable, are we investing enough in the people behind it? Technology will continue to evolve. The ability to think critically, understand audiences, make sense of complexity and apply sound judgement remains essential. Human judgement remains the decisive advantage. Of course, some of the most valuable conversations happened outside the sessions. Over the past two days, we caught up with familiar faces, made new connections and heard a wide range of perspectives on the challenges organisations are facing right now. We're looking forward to continuing those conversations and helping organisations navigate an increasingly complex information environment. If you weren't in Riga but would like to discuss an idea or comms challenge, get in touch via DM or email. 📩 creative@bfbs.com #RigaStratComDialogue #StrategicCommunications #AI #InformationEnvironment #Resilience

One question kept resurfacing on Day 1 at NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence How do organisations navigate an increasingly complex world? Across discussions on AI, trust, security, technology and the information environment, several related themes emerged: → Organisations are navigating increasing complexity and looking for ways to create greater clarity, understanding and resilience. → Trust was one of those themes, alongside broader conversations about credibility, audience understanding and how organisations can move beyond reacting to events and instead help shape the conditions for future success. → Increasingly, strategic communications is being recognised as a core capability, helping organisations make sense of complexity, understand audiences and create clarity when uncertainty is high. Beyond the panels, the conversations continued in the Marketplace, with plenty of discussion around communications challenges, audience understanding and how organisations are navigating an increasingly complex environment. We'll be back in the Marketplace for Day 2 tomorrow. If you're attending and would like to discuss a communications challenge, exchange ideas or simply connect, come and say hello to Ethan and Daniel. #RigaStratCom #StrategicCommunications #Defence #InformationEnvironment