Wisconsin launching national marketing campaign aimed at veterans

Wisconsin is launching its $1.9 million national marketing campaign today aimed at attracting veterans to the state. 

This is just one piece of the $6.8 million national marketing campaign which also targets millennials and alumni. Legislation providing funds for the campaign was approved last spring. 

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation says the goal of the veteran-focused efforts is to reach the 250,000 military service members that transition back to civilian life every year. 

“As our dedicated members of the military prepare to return to civilian life, they are looking for the best place possible to start a new career, raise a family and enjoy an outstanding quality of life,” said Gov. Scott Walker, who announced the launch Friday in Menomonee Falls. “We are going to make a strong case that Wisconsin can meet all those needs — and more.” 

Though the campaign includes advertisements online and in social media, a big part of the effort will focus on reaching these veterans in person. A team of “brand ambassadors” from Wisconsin will be travelling to 16 Hiring our Heroes transition summits, starting with an event in California at the end of the month. 

These two-day events, held by the nonprofit Hiring our Heroes organization, are held at military installations in the United States and overseas. The Wisconsin delegation will be visiting Washington, North Carolina, Hawaii, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Germany and Japan. 

Aside from those events, WEDC and other participating agencies will be engaging directly with spouses of transitioning veterans at symposiums, roundtables, networking events and other places. In a WEDC document, it’s noted that military spouses are “heavily involved” in post-military decisions and “bring unique and valuable skills to the workplace. 

The $1.9 million campaign includes a $325,000 paid media campaign which will run through the end of June 2019. 

That covers print ads in “GI Jobs” and “Military Spouse,” two national publications. Online display ads will go on GIJobs.com, MilitarySpouse.com and Rebootcamp.com — all websites that cater to this campaign’s target market. Also, anyone on the mailing lists for GIJobs.com, MilitarySpouse.com and RallyPoint will be getting monthly email blasts. On top of that, targeted social media posts will also go on RallyPoint, a social platform for military members. 

Video messaging will focus on the key pillars of the state’s overall marketing campaign: careers, education, family, housing, community and quality of life. Videos will be distributed on a variety of platforms. 

Other pieces of the effort include a new blog for veterans and their spouses, an expanded site with resources, and new promotional materials at museums, welcome centers and elsewhere. 

WEDC is joined in the campaign by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. 

The state launched the alumni portion of the campaign in June. A campaign from earlier in the year targeting millennials in Chicago will be expanded to other markets, and will be launched in the fall, according to a release from Gov. Walker’s office. 

See examples for all the ads here: http://wedc.org/newsroom/veteran/ 

See more on the Chicago campaign: http://wisbusiness.com/index.Iml?Article=389895