RSA to scrub up with brunch, jam and tweets

Orakei RSA. Photo / APN

The RSA, an alleged enclave of old men and beer, has taken up a Twitter marketing strategy.

The association has enlisted a strategic design practice, created a new logo and signage, bottled up some RSApberry jam and is courting the wider public.

"They did a massive research survey with the New Zealand public, and the guts of it was: 'We like you. We don't want you to go away. But you need to scrub up and we don't want to hang out with you," said Designworks strategy director Chris Meade.

The result was almost two years thinking up new ways to connect with a younger generation.

"There are definitely some members who question it, who are feeling a bit fearful," Mr Meade said.

He said there were baby steps individual RSA clubs could start with, such as hosting brunches after the dawn service today - a bit of a change from the public perception of being just a den of cheap beer.

The clubs were slowly opening up, Mr Meade said.

RSA chief executive Stephen Clarke said, "We're going forward with the whole brunch concept as a new ritual.

"It replaces what generations of veterans had done, but civilianising that ritual."

The image revamp kicked off at an association meeting. Dr Clarke had called a "workshop" to discuss ideas - a strange term that caused some hesitation among members.

"But the moment they got in there the hands went up, the ideas came out, they said, 'We want to pass on the baton.' That was a seminal point," he said.

"Quite rightly, the organisation has been conservative because the veterans had all those experiences in the war and they wanted to take things quietly."

But members had accepted every process along the way to a relaunch.

"The end result has shown that these members - and the organisation as a collective - are certainly not dying," Dr Clarke said. "It was one of those moments you realise that we have that sort of passion and latent energy. There was a real hope and momentum to really change the organisation.

"Almost 100 years after Anzac we're at the start of a journey of a real awakening of interest and opportunities to discover new stories to tell."

Mr Meade said the organisation could build off growing interest in Anzac Day with a renewed purpose - to be at the heart of communities.

"That's the absolute gift for the RSA - their own version of Christmas with Anzac Day."

The key was to honour the legacy of the Anzac spirit while extending it to more people, he said.

"Young people crave authenticity in brands and the RSA has that in bucketloads.

"Have a bit of self-effacing humour, not take ourselves too seriously.

"This is a once-in-a-decade job. It's an incredibly rare opportunity for such an organisation of national importance - you can't muck it up. You have to get itright."