For more than a century, the U.S. Navy faced a persistent challenge: getting mothers to see the Navy as a viable career choice for their children. Naturally protective, mothers often perceive military service as inherently risky. To succeed, we needed to shift that perception.

Instead of traditional recruitment tactics, we created NAVYForMoms.com, an online community where moms could connect with other moms who already have children in the Navy. The platform encouraged authentic peer-to-peer conversations about benefits, experiences, and even challenges—completely unscripted and without recruiter intervention.

To drive awareness and engagement, we launched an integrated campaign spanning television, print, online advertising, out-of-home, guerrilla tactics, street teams, and direct mail.

Highlights:

• A new mother joins the site every 21 minutes.
• Moms have uploaded over 850 videos and 125,000 photos.
• Ethnographic research identified exactly why a mother might reconsider the Navy, how many peers she would consult, and which mothers are most influential in that decision.
• NAVYForMoms™ is now a featured case study cited by social media and marketing speakers.

Awards:

• Effie Worldwide Awards, 2009 – Silver, Government, Institutional & Recruitment
• Webby Awards, 2009 – Web Honoree, Government
• Adweek People's Choice Buzz Award, 3rd Place
• Web Marketing Association WebAwards, 2009 – Social Network Standard of Excellence, 2008 – Best Military Website

This campaign was a two-part initiative designed to generate excitement and engagement around the launch of a Navy training video game.

PART 1: GORGONBOX TEASER & VIRAL CAMPAIGN
To build buzz prior to launch, we created Gorgonbox, an unbranded teaser campaign named after a key object in the game. The mysterious campaign generated viral chatter across gaming communities, sparking debates among Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft fans about who was behind the effort.

The Gorgonbox landing page offered a fully functional Code Cypher. Visitors who uncovered clues—or followed the social chatter—found a 1-800 number delivering a new code each day for 30 days. These codes unlocked a prequel mission, concept art, and hints about the official sponsor. Street teams amplified the campaign at E3, the gaming world’s most talked-about event, with signage, unbranded messaging, and postcards. The campaign drove heavy online buzz, with the website averaging 9 minutes per visit.

PART 2: NTE: STRIKE & RETRIEVE VIDEO GAME LAUNCH
The game, titled NTE: Strike & Retrieve (Navy Training Exercise), was inspired by The Last Starfighter, where gameplay served as a recruitment and training tool. The game was launched as a free PC download on major gaming websites and the official Navy site, nte.navy.com. Hidden codes throughout Navy.com unlocked weapons and attributes in-game. The launch included a hands-on activation at Universal Studios Hollywood’s CityWalk, demo stations, digital ads, and in-store placements in malls and video/game stores.

The combined campaign successfully married viral marketing, interactive gameplay, and experiential activation, generating significant media coverage and fan engagement.

Awards:

• 2006 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards: Outstanding Microsite
• 2006 Web Marketing Association's WebAwards: Game Site Standard of Excellence
• 2006 Telly Award 
• 2005 Caddy Awards (Adcraft Detroit): Gold Interactive
• Feature in Big Idea Magazine

Game Simulation

Game Screenshots