Military Officers Association of America

Rebranding People with a Purpose 

Challenge: Awareness and Engagement 

The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) faced an awareness and member engagement challenge when LMO began work with the organization. Our initial organizational assessment and research indicated that: 

  • Existing members didn’t fully understand the benefits offered by MOAA.  

  • Prospective members, while familiar with MOAA, didn’t understand the value of membership.  

We also discovered that, although MOAA communicated often with its audience, communication was inconsistent and lacked a consistent message and point of view.  

Objective:  

The goal for MOAA’s rebranding was to develop clear, consistent, relevant communication of its value and services.

Solutions:

Using these findings and a blend of collective brainstorming, stakeholder input, and cross-functional ideation, we developed a strategy for moving forward. When we began, MOAA had a wide range of audience groups within its existing and potential membership sphere, and a more efficient communication strategy was needed.

We used insights we developed about MOAA’s target audience and the specific attitudes, concerns, and criteria that drive them to create eight member personas, each representing a distinct segment of the MOAA audience:

JUNIOR OFFICER

STARTER LIFE

  • Exciting “firsts” (marriage, baby, house), deployment, strains of war, high divorce rate, one-tour of duty/forced out due to draw downs, questioning military life as a career, allegiance to other Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, wired, media savvy, proactive, activists

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Military professionalism

    • Transition services: résumé reviews and virtual job fairs

    • Financial guidance and products

    • Spousal professionaldevelopment

MID-GRADE OFFICER

FAMILY LIFE

  • Pragmatic, skeptical, more earning potential, “trading up” homes, saving (or not saving) for college and retirement, “sandwich generation,” possibly more deployment, injury, career instability or dissatisfaction, divorce, geo-bachelors, wired, possibly transitioning out of active duty to service in the National Guard or reserves

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Military professionalism

    • Transition services including spouse programs

    • Life insurance

    • Guidance in using civilian insurance

    • Interest-free loans and grants for children

SENIOR OFFICER

TRANSITIONAL LIFE

  • Second and non-military careers, reinventing themselves, mind/body wellness-focused, retirement concerns, benefits eroding, spouse in workforce

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Transition services including financial/benefits guidance

    • Advocacy against retirement threats

    • VA claims assistance

    • Health insurance

    • Interest-free loans and grants for children

EARLY RETIREE

RETIRED LIFE

  • Original activists, idealistic, retiring later, stretching savings, downsizing, increasingly wired, illness prevention, caring for elderly parents

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Travel services

    • Healthcare guidance: TRICARE to Medicare

    • Healthcare advocacy

    • Wealth planning

FULLY RETIRED

HARD-WORKED LIFE

  • Patriotic, fond memories, spouses/friends dying, depression, isolation, chronic health concerns, financial difficulties (esp. among widows)

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Access to grassroots advocacy efforts

    • Camaraderie through local chapters

    • Publications

    • Support for spouses and families who have lost an officer

SPOUSE

  • Uncertainty and fear about “what’s next” in term of spouse’s assignments and potential deployment; difficulty putting down roots in a community; different schools and routines for children; careers often put on hold; sacrifices made to support spouse; financial matters falls on their shoulders. In essence, spouses are serving the military alongside their servicemembers and want to be viewed and respected for their tremendous and selfless efforts.

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Advocacy to support military families

    • Publications: State Report Card and Military Family Legislative Action Guide

    • Spouse career resources and relocation information

    • Military Spouse Symposia

    • MOAA insurance plans

60+ SURVIVING SPOUSE

  • For older spouse, dwindling support system and burdened or confused by tasks he or she has never had to deal with, like financial matters. In essence, spouses are serving the military alongside their servicemembers and want to be viewed and respected for their tremendous and selfless efforts.

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Advocacy to support surviving spouses

    • Publications: Help Your Survivors Now: A Guide to Planning Ahead; Auxiliary Checklist; and Military Officer magazine

    • Travel discounts

    • MOAA insurance plans

    • Community and camaraderie through local chapters

FORMER OFFICER

  • Have left the military for various reasons: spouse may desire a more stable living environment; officer may have developed negative views of the military; may want to reconnect with family and friends; may have served out a planned amount of time. Interested in the products and services MOAA provides, but less interested in legislation and lobbying efforts as they don’t directly apply to them anymore.

    MOAA PROVIDES:

    • Advocacy

      • GI Bill training improvements — you have 10 years to use the GI Bill

      • Tax credits for employers to hire veterans

    • Career transition services

    • Financial guidance

    • Travel discounts

    • Community and camaraderie through local chapters

After defining these personas, we developed a comprehensive brand concept that emphasized MOAA’s value and services, establishing a consistent theme for the association. 

To enhance our understanding, we further analyzed the member personas, conducted staff interviews, and held ideation sessions to highlight common themes. Ultimately, we identified a shared value: service, which is central to the military officer mindset. 

Through research, ideation, prototyping, and testing, we arrived at the final positioning: “Never Stop Serving.” 

To ensure that MOAA’s brand was communicated consistently, we developed an updated brand guidebook for chapters and employees that provided clear guidance on communicating with members and prospects, as well as detailed standards for logo usage, overall brand expression, and core messaging.

Results

10K

New MOAA memberships added over the course of our partnership.

6:1 ROI

Achieved through an award-winning website and an integrated direct mail campaign.