By Andrew Fortunato
This week, US Marines around the globe will celebrate the 236th anniversary of our nation’s corps of Marines. Also this week, the American people will pause to reflect on the contribution of our nation’s Veterans. It may be a small coincidence that the birthday of the Marines and Veterans Day fall on consecutive days of the same week. Both groups, unfailingly, are there for America. Both groups are always there, but seldom seen, quietly going about their business every day.
As for the Marines, they are a group founded in 1775, and older than America itself. Marines and the Marines brand have become American icons, truly part of the American fabric. While the Marines are always there, but seldom seen, there is one aspect of the Marines that is perhaps more visible than others. The television commercials produced by the Marines have become part of the pop culture.
A few years ago the Marines were approaching another birthday, a key milestone – the 225th anniversary. With key milestones, organizations typically look to do something special to commemorate the event. At the time I was fairly new in the Marines’ marketing organization. I knew we had to do something different – something special. But what could we add that hadn’t been accomplished in the past 225 years? That is a challenge unique to enduring brands that have withstood the test of time. We could have simply done another commercial, but that just wasn’t our style.
The challenge was compounded by the fact that there weren’t any dollars to spend to run something on television. That led us to think about what we might do with our award winning public service announcement program. It also led me to think that we had a real chance to take brand engagement to a new level, and involve the multitude of supporters amongst the entire population. I felt at that particular juncture in time, we had both an occasion to celebrate and give something back to those who had sacrificed so much.
We hit on a theme called “Family Photos”. The idea was to showcase the history of the Corps through the proud eyes of those who had served. Who better to showcase that theme than those who themselves had served? We reached out to the entire Corps, present and past, and asked for help. And boy did we get help. Marines, relatives, friends, and supporters from across the Corps responded with a plethora of personal photographs, stories, artifacts, and memorabilia –- more than we could ever possibly use. Through this process we were also able to find the stars of the show – the Marines and their family members featured in the commercial. The result has become what I consider to be one of the best pieces of work produced during my tenure at the helm of marketing our Corps.
A Scene from "Family Photos"
This week, television stations across America and a major retail chain, will continue to run “Family Photos” as part of their Veterans Day tributes. I still use “Family Photos” when I am asked to speak at public events. The public service announcement originally intended to last for three years, has now entered a second decade of widespread use. How about that for endurance and return on investment? Every day you make choices for your brand. Will your decisions stand the test of time? Look for “Family Photos” this week, pause for a minute to reflect on our Veterans, and pray for those in harm’s way.
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About the author: Andrew Fortunato, http://www.linkedin.com/in/AndrewFortunato, former Marketing Chief for the Marines, CMO, consultant, and speaker, advises and leads organizations seeking marketing and operational success. Andrew shares insights in-person and on his “What Can Your Brand Learn From The Marines?TM” blog at http://marinesbrand.blogspot.com.
Copyright © Andrew Fortunato, 2011
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