Military OneSource – Marketing Case Study

Military OneSource is a non-profit program of the Department of Defense, and was created to provide a wide variety of resources to military service members and their families. Traditionally, service branches (Army, Navy, etc.) have provided non-medical counseling, financial help and family management; Military OneSource reflects the emerging “combined forces” philosophy by offering comprehensive services to all Active Duty, Reserve, Guard and their families — regardless of service branch.

The Marketing Problem
Military OneSource faces internal and external competition: internally, from the service branches where tradition slows the adoption of new practices; externally, from a wide variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations that target the troops as an audience for their services. We were hired in Spring 2008 to increase overall utilization, as measured primarily by calls to the 24-hour call center and visits to the website.

Our Solution
We  experienced significant success by taking the Military OneSource message to their audiences while rebranding and innovating. Activities included:

  • Creating a series of engaging video public service announcements (PSAs) airing on television channels in 54 media markets across the nation
  • Rebranding with a new  logo, creating a new look and feel, and using customized iconic imagery
  • Rebranding and reorganizing a new website to better serve the user base
  • Developing TroopTube.tv, a video-sharing site for military families, deployed soldiers, base commanders, the Pentagon and more
  • Using social media to create an interactive community on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and more
  • Creating and distributing direct mail and other printed pieces with new branding and messaging
  • Developing innovative “buzz agent” programs where influencers became advocates for Military OneSource and reached out to the audience for us.

The Results

  • Military OneSource saw a 71 percent increase in utilization from June 2008 to June 2009.
  • Military OneSource website use increased 41 percent and call center use increased 36 percent in one year.
  • The PSAs  created buzz among the audience, driving engagement.
  • The buzz agent program, which  launched in April 2009, collected nearly 1,500 registrations in less than three months, far exceeding expectations.
  • Nationwide press coverage for TroopTube.tv resulted in over 135,000 site visits in a 45-day period.

Lesson Learned
MMI is an innovative partner. We understand our clients and share their vision, which enables us to speak powerfully and authentically on their behalf. We take the message to the audience — an increasingly important move in a society that self-selects information sources.