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:
Awards:
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
Case Study
Original Launch Website
Website Evolution
Navy Mom Interviews
Credits:
- Account Management: Kathleen Donald, Rachel Ferhadson, Jennifer Monaghan
- Brand Strategy: Arthur Mitchell, Ann Kong
- Social Media Leadership: Dave Linabury
- Community Management: Helena McIntosh, Catherine Catcho
- Creative Leadership: Mark Simon, Iain Lanivich, Eric Olis, Dan Ames, Ilya Hardey
- Copywriting: Chad Woolums
- Art Direction: Michael James McCallum, Brandi (Geuy) Mitra
- Media: Dan Rioux
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