Marketing to the military community—why agencies need veterans on their team

Fresh out of film school, I was on my first set in Hollywood serving as the first assistant director on a web series. We had been in production for almost a week and were working that long weekend kicking off summer. “Hey, by the way … Happy Memorial Day,” an executive producer said to me, attempting to acknowledge my service. A second EP looked at him and then back at me before smiling awkwardly and saying, “I don’t think that’s what you say.” He paused, the tension ratcheting up. He looked at me again. “Wait, is it?” “No, it’s not,” I said, disarming them both with a chuckle and a smile. I explained the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day honors the fallen—those who have died while serving in the armed forces—and Veterans Day honors those who have served our country in uniform. Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards Join us July 23 & 24 in Boston Learn more here In the age of DE&I, most people mean well. They’re just trying to be inclusive, and if we’re being honest, they’re trying to keep up with the latest current thing, so we need to cut them some slack. That’s why I didn’t get offended. But brands don’t get the same benefit of the doubt. You can’t fake community. You either understand your consumer because you’re telling a brand or a product story from their perspective, or you’re guessing. Understanding who a community is, what a community values and how a community communicates is crucial in marketing to that community. Understanding the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is a great example of this. The military community has $1.2 trillion in annual spending power, and brands of all sizes would benefit tremendously from understanding our community from the inside out rather than from the outside looking in. These two pulse moments—Memorial Day in the spring and Veterans Day in the fall—offer unique opportunities for brands to speak to the military and veteran community in different ways, at different times, for different reasons. There’s only one way to accomplish this kind of understanding: Agencies need to prioritize hiring veterans. Our work and life in the military offer a unique set of skills and experiences that transfer directly into advertising. It’s easy to say that we work well on teams to accomplish the mission, but my specifically foundational experience on that web series illustrates it well. I had moved to Los Angeles out of film school and applied for hundreds of gigs, getting one single hit for an unpaid production assistant position in the assistant director department. When I showed up to the interview, I expected to meet a few grizzled old producers. Instead, I met three guys around my age (I was 25 at the time). Two of the guys were the co-producers, co-writers and co-leads of the show. The third was the unit production manager. After a short interview that ended with them triple-confirming I understood this gig was in fact unpaid, the unit production manager tossed a book on the table in front of me that would walk me through the hierarchy and responsibilities of the department. I started the next day, and the schedule had us building the set for the following three days before shooting eight episodes over the course of the 15 days after that. I took the book home (a family friend’s guest room 45 minutes south of town). I’d be supporting three assistant directors—one tasked with production paperwork; another managing talent, hair, makeup, and wardrobe; and a third working with the director of photography to ensure each shot is accomplished on time and to the director’s satisfaction. I skimmed the rest of the book. Simple support role. Piece of cake. I showed up the next morning and discovered all three assistant directors had quit. The producers were terrified and asked me if they thought I could be the only assistant director on the production. “It doesn’t really seem like we have a choice, does it?” I asked. We built sets for the next few days, and I devoured the book. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here The first day of set was like drinking water out of a firehose. I didn’t know up from down and left from right. I felt like I had vertigo. At lunch, each department gathered over their meals. Hair and makeup sat together. Wardrobe, art department, camera crew and actors shared another table. I sat with the unit production manager and the director. Then I realized that these departments were like troops on a flight line (the parking and servicing area for airplanes.) Instead of production departments, I saw crew chiefs, avionics, weapons and engines. All they needed was an expeditor (me, the assistant director) and a pro super (the unit production manager.) This helped me break down the production down to its component parts. I then made it my job to ensure everyone got what they needed when they needed it to do their jobs. The production went smoothly. A very seasoned actor even told me I was one of the best assistant directors he’d ever worked with. That approach is the foundation of my civilian career. I’ve carried it with me from those good old days as a 1st AD to my days now as an executive producer—my job is to put the best possible people together and get them what they need when they need it, under time and on budget. My story is not that unique. I have a network full of copywriters and strategists, account directors and producers who are eager for the opportunity to bring their own military frameworks to bear in the advertising industry. Dig a little deeper. Search “veteran” on LinkedIn. 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Marketing to the military community—why agencies need veterans on their team

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