BFBS Creative

When we talk about defence communications, we often focus on the message. But messages don’t land in isolation. They enter an environment where narratives are already circulating, audiences are already engaging, and perceptions are already forming. Our latest Research & Insight report examines the UK Armed Forces recruitment information environment. We analysed 54,000 pieces of content to understand: • What’s shaping perceptions of Armed Forces careers • Where attention is gathering • What this context means for strategy Whether you’re shaping communications, recruitment or wider strategy, this report offers insight into the environment those decisions sit within. Read the full report: bit.ly/470KQmp #ResearchAndInsight #Communications #AudienceUnderstanding #InformationEnvironment

The most influential voice shaping your audience may be someone you’ve never heard of. Influence online has decentralised. Instead of a few large voices shaping opinion, audiences are increasingly influenced by smaller accounts sharing authentic experiences. When analysing the information environment surrounding Armed Forces recruitment, we saw this dynamic repeatedly. Watch Tom unpack this further in the video. Explore the full Research & Insight report: bit.ly/470KQmp #ResearchAndInsight #Communications #AudienceUnderstanding #InformationEnvironment

How do you compete with an algorithm designed to work against you? It’s a challenge we kept coming back to when analysing the recruitment information environment. Platforms prioritise content that provokes strong emotional reactions, and negative emotions travel fastest. Which means audiences rarely encounter institutional messaging as a blank slate. Watch Tom unpack this in the video below. 👇🏽 Read the full Research & Insight report: bit.ly/4rWar8F #ResearchAndInsight #CommunicationsStrategy #InformationEnvironment

Why does negativity always feel louder online? In our latest research, just 0.12% of content in the recruitment information environment related to scandals. But it generated almost half of all shares. Small volumes can dominate perception. That’s not a content problem. It’s an environment problem. Understanding that changes how you plan communications. Access the full report here: bit.ly/470KQmp #StrategicCommunications #AudienceInsight #InformationEnvironment #ResearchAndInsight

Many defence communications challenges start long before the first message is written. Support for NATO varies widely across Europe, yet communications are often still designed as if there is a single “European audience”. Our latest Research & Insight report uses data from seven European countries to show: ✔ how attitudes to NATO diverge ✔ how views on defence spending differ ✔ how threat perception varies across borders ✔ why audience understanding needs to be treated as a strategic capability, not a nice to have. For anyone working in defence, security or government communications, the value is not just knowing that opinions differ. It's understanding where, how and why they do, so messages can be designed with audiences in mind from the outset. Access the full report: lnkd.in/ejbSJpWm

🎙️ An end-of-year moment for The Culture Colonel. In 2025, the podcast reached new listeners across the UK and beyond, sparking thoughtful conversations and tackling issues that genuinely affect people’s lives. A huge thank you to everyone who’s tuned in, shared an episode, or been part of the journey so far, including our very own Culture Colonel, Lindsay MacDuff. One of this year’s most listened-to episodes featured Francesca Crowsley - Allen and Kim W, sharing their work through the Naval Servicewomen’s Network and the role it plays in driving cultural change. Across two seasons, there are now 34 episodes ready to listen to, plenty to dip into or binge over the break. You can find #TheCultureColonel wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Here’s to what’s next. 💬 If you’ve been listening, we’d love to know, when do you usually catch your podcasts, or is there an episode that’s stuck with you?

✨ Season’s greetings from all of us at BFBS Creative. As we head towards the end of the year, we wanted to say thank you to everyone we’ve worked with, collaborated with, or connected with over the past year. Whether you’re celebrating, spending time with loved ones, or simply enjoying a quieter few days, we hope the next few days bring some time to enjoy the things that matter to you.

“Europe” isn’t one audience. And it never has been. Support for NATO sits at 87% in Denmark. In Spain, it’s closer to 53%. That’s not variation. That’s two completely different starting points.Yet communications still often assume the same messages will land everywhere. In this short video, Tom talks about why audience understanding matters, and how recognising real differences changes the way you design communications. We explore this in more depth in our latest report on European defence communications. 👇🏽 Access the report below, and let us know what you think. forms.office.com/e/CMydYzGTDy

🌍 The biggest risk in European defence communication? Treating Europe as one audience. Our new report shows why that approach fails, and what to do instead. From Denmark to Italy, public attitudes towards NATO, defence spending, threat perception and sovereignty vary dramatically. These are not small differences. They reflect fundamentally different strategic cultures. Audience intelligence helps design communications calibrated to each nation’s motivations, fears and priorities, rather than blanket messages that land nowhere. Audience Understanding: Communicating Defence Across a Divided Europe Access the full report via the link below. forms.office.com/e/CMydYzGTDy

⚡ It’s never been harder to communicate effectively. 👇🏽 Tom O'Kelly, our Senior Research & Insight Manager, shares how insight brings clarity when audiences, behaviours and expectations are constantly shifting. If you’re unsure where to begin, we can help. Get in touch.

✨ Strong comms start with strong Research & Insight. 👇🏽 A closer look at how insight underpins the work we do with Armed Forces and Defence teams, and with organisations who engage or support the Armed Forces community, guiding clearer decisions and stronger outcomes. If you’re facing a comms challenge and need clarity, we can help. ⏯️Pause to read

@vkinkaid11 We love that you're making your way through our series! Thanks for sharing. Let us know what you decide to choose next! Any themes that you have particularly found insightful?

I’m on a roll with my podcast listening this week (due to lots of commutes!) In this episode, the @BFBSCreative The Culture Colonel interviews the incredible Sarah Atherton - what I loved about this episode was the deep dive into her background and career history! #miltwitter

If you haven't listened to this episode yet, do give it a go. Our #TheCultureColonel podcast is linked in our bio, with two series worth of episodes to listen to. Find an episode that resonates with you and let us know what you think.

@vkinkaid11 Thanks for sharing Victoria! We're so pleased to know that you enjoyed listening to this episode.

Listened to this lovely episode of the @BFBSCreative Culture Colonel podcast, loved hearing more about how the servicewomen’s networks, particularly in the navy, operate! #miltwitter

🎥 Why are brands increasingly choosing phone-shot clips over polished interviews, and why does it actually work? Our video team attended @EVCOMUK’s “Talking Pictures: Talking Heads & Innovation” session at @BFI. For our video team, it was a valuable moment to step back and reflect on how these shifts are shaping the content we create. What stood out? The balance between trust, authenticity and technology is changing faster than ever. We captured the journey (and what it means for storytellers) in our new blog. 👉 Read it here: creative.bfbs.com/evolution-talk… #VideoProduction #Storytelling #ContentCreation #UGC #EVCOM #BFBSCreative

What if your next comms project could do more than deliver great comms? ✨ At @BFBSCreative, we’re a not-for-profit strategic communications agency, so when we make a surplus, it’s reinvested back into our charitable work supporting the Armed Forces community. That includes programmes like the @BFBSAcademy’s Production Course for Veterans, helping them gain valuable skills and real opportunities in media. 📩 Want creative work that delivers more? creative@bfbs.com

The silence has passed, but remembrance continues. At BFBS Creative, remembrance is deeply personal. Our team includes veterans, reservists, a military spouse and colleagues with military connections. All of us are connected through our work with the Armed Forces community. During this time of remembrance, each of us has been reflecting in our own way on the people we remember and the lives that have shaped us. As the sun sets, we hold those memories close. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. #LestWeForget

Ever had that moment where someone mentions a rank and you think: “I know this… I just can’t place it right now”? 📌 Our Armed Forces and Defence Ranks posters have quietly become one of our most downloaded resources over the past year. We created them to support anyone who may come into contact with Defence or the Armed Forces in their work. Whether you work in communications, partnership roles, education, supply, are new to the Defence environment, or simply want a clear point of reference, these posters bring all rank structures into one easy visual. 💬 What made them successful was simple. We asked the Defence community what they needed. They told us. We listened. The result is a resource that people still use and share a year later. 📥 You can download the posters via the link in our bio. 📬 Prefer printed posters? Message us to request A4 or A3 copies to be posted to your organisation. 💭 If there are other resources or quick reference tools that would make your job easier, let us know. We are always listening and creating things that are genuinely useful. #BFBSCreative #UKArmedForces #RankStructure

“Fear is a deliberate weapon. Before you think, you feel.” That was one of the standout messages from Day 1 of #DisInfo2025 conference in Slovenia, where our Senior Strategist Dan and Senior Research Manager Tom are joining discussions on the realities of counter-disinformation, from the battlegrounds of Syria to Poland’s election response, exploring how to build resilience within the military and beyond. Here are some of their key takeaways: 🧩 Disinformation thrives where coordination is weak. Consistent, joined-up communication is essential. ⚡ Monitoring is only useful when matched with timely, decisive action. 💭 Fear is a deliberate weapon. Before you think, you feel. 💻 Digital and information hygiene should be standard practice, not specialist knowledge. 🇺🇦 Ukraine’s experience shows what effective counter-disinformation looks like: grassroots leadership, authentic storytelling and strong partnerships build long-term resilience. 🛡️ Every hostile narrative should be treated like a live physical threat. It demands an active defence. If you’re at the conference and would like to connect, drop us a message. #StrategicCommunications #Disinformation #Resilience #BFBSCreative