Forged By The Sea
Brand: America’s Navy
Ask: Recruit Sailors when interest and trust in the military is at an all time low.
Agency: VML
CW:
AD: Courtney Shaw (unless otherwise stated)
Navy Medicine Navy Socials Snapchat Traditional Experiential Navy.com Army Navy Digital Content
America’s Navy
Guess you’ll have to scroll to find out.
Recruiting has been at all time low. Since I started, the Navy has…
Made mission [met Active Duty recruiting goals] for the first time in 3 years
Made mission for Nuclear Operations recruitment for the first time, ever
Replenished its Delayed Entry Program [commit to enlist within 12 months] numbers to 10,000+ Sailors
Gone up 25% in brand favorability
Increased signed enlistment contracts by 39% YoY
Increased high-quality contracts [high ASVAB scores or Officer entry] by 37% YoY
Seen a 40% increase in qualified leads
Is it all because of me?
2024 Gold Effie in Social Media Services
2024 Silver Effie in Government & Public Service
Radio
Radio spots targeting medical providers were role-specific to maximize relevance. “Within Range” spoke to physicians using clinical language consistent with OOH to emphasize precision and the link between medical decisions and mission readiness. “The Care You Give” reached the broader medical community with emotionally driven messaging centered on purpose and impact. Both scripts reinforced how Navy Medicine enables providers to focus on care, while the Navy handles red tape and supports them with benefits like medical school loan reimbursement.
Social & Digital Support
A nationally targeted digital campaign used behavioral and geo-targeting to reach medical professionals in key hospital markets. The creative strategy connected providers’ dedication to the broader mission of protecting service members, emphasizing their impact beyond medicine. Retargeting maintained ongoing engagement with this focused audience. On social media, carousels across Instagram and Facebook drove users to navy.com/medicine while informing them about the careers and benefits available with Navy Medicine.
Unique to Reddit and organically live on u/AmericasNavy in perpetuity, we decided to host an Ask Me Anything with Navy Physician Captain John Devlin. We targeted subreddits and online spaces frequented by medical professionals, students and residents. I was responsible for molding Captain Devlin’s biography to best recognize his contributions to Navy Medicine and appeal to potential recruits, along with handling all pre-AMA, day-of-AMA, and post-AMA promotional copy.
As part of our social activations, we regularly do Reddit AMAs. While most of the Sailors we feature in these AMAs (like Captain Devlin above) are literate and can speak for themselves, there’s one notable, very cute exception.
Meet Chief Fox, one of the Navy’s finest Sailors. In addition to writing Chief Fox’s biography and all pre-AMA, day-of-AMA, and post-AMA promotional copy, I answered all the questions that came his way. I had the unique task of being true to Chief Fox’s personality while staying in line with America’s Navy brand voice, and it worked. Chief Fox’s AMA became one of Reddit’s highest-performing branded AMAs.
Reels
Using short-form, vertical video, we delivered Navy content to potential recruits in a way they’re eager to consume, and our engagement has never looked better.
Fast-Paced Interviews
I wrote questions for Sailors across every job imaginable in the Navy that would hook potential recruits, no matter their interests.
Exclusive POVs
I pinpointed jobs in the Navy that would be best-suited to POV-style content and supported the videos with relevant captions.
Ship Tours, Navy Tech, A Day in the Life, and…even more content?!
For Reels that relied on footage shot by Navy Mass Communication Specialists, I dove into different pieces of Navy life, culture or equipment to highlight for our audience. This ranges from showing off cool Navy equipment, explaining different job opportunities, to educating future Sailors on the basics of Navy life, like boot camp and A-School.
You did it!
You made it to the end of my Reels showcase, but don’t get it twisted…there’s a whole lot more to check out on @AmericasNavy
Static Posts
Just like with Reels, every quarter, my AD and I come up with static posts for our feed. We combine humor with strategic insight to get potential recruits excited about a future with the Navy while educating them about the opportunities that lie ahead.
Wow, these posts are so informative!
Each quarter of social content requires hours of research into Navy culture, etiquette, careers, equipment, regulations, news coverage, you name it, I’ve done a deep dive on it. In order to give our audience the best content possible, I get in the head of anything and everything Navy so we can make mission success.
Over 43 million impressions
Over 108k views on the live post
Over 50 questions answered (benchmark 20-30)
Upvote rate of 96% (benchmark 85%)
100% cutest Sailor
Snapchat
Client
America’s Navy
Goal
Engage with Gen-Z on their platform and drive them to ours.
PS
Make sure to scan the Snap codes to try out the lenses.
And yes…I understand the irony of the language lens video not having audio.
Breathe Lens
This lens used facial recognition to simulate a Navy Diver’s breathing exercises designed to relax the body and mind. Triggered by a deep breath, the lens guided users through timed inhales and exhales as they rose through the water. Once completed, users received a prompt to learn about life as a Navy Diver.
Snapchat provides America’s Navy with a unique, gamified way to talk to potential recruits. With each Snapchat lens, we take the opportunity to educate future Sailors about different careers the Navy can offer them in a way that’s more memorable and impactful than reading words on a screen.
Fission Frenzy
This gamified Snapchat lens put users in the shoes of a Navy Nuke — splitting atoms to power a ship across their screen. As time counted down and steam built up, the challenge got harder, simulating real mission pressure. Make it to the other side, and they’d get a message celebrating their success.
CTI Code Cracking
To showcase the Navy’s global reach and linguistic expertise, we created a multi-level Snapchat lens that challenged users in foreign languages. Guided by phonetic prompts, users unlocked each level through voice activation and advanced through increasingly difficult languages: Spanish, Russian and Mandarin. At the final stage, their efforts paid off with the reveal of a special challenge coin and hidden message : BECOME A CRYPTOLOGIC TECHNICIAN INTERPRETIVE (aka CTI…aka the language masters of the Navy).
Over 13.3 million impression during initial launch period
39,775 clicks through to navy.com in first flight alone
Special Operations Endless Runner
AD: Courtney Shaw, Theo Trandafir
In this selfie-mode, endless runner gamified lens, users played as each Special Operations job on a covert mission. Their goal: secretly and successfully complete each career’s mission.
Watch the complete run-through here
Navy.com
Homepage Headline
My headline was the first thing navy.com visitors saw. Currently, a series of my headlines are cycling through the homepage every 6-8 weeks, including:
GOODNIGHT’S SLEEP? YOU’RE WELCOME.
LAUNCH MORE THAN A CAREER.
THE SEA NEVER RESTS. NEITHER DO WE.
IT’S NOT WHERE THE SEA TAKES YOU. BUT WHO IT MAKES YOU.
Career Categories
I was tasked with categorizing all the careers the Navy offers so that navy.com was less overwhelming to site-visitors and future Sailors.
With over 150 jobs available, this project required a deep-dive into each one in order to provide an accurate depiction of each category.
For each category, I was not only responsible for category headlines and high-level summaries, but also a breakdown of each sector’s unique education opportunities, pay and benefits and Reserve eligibility.
You can check out any and all of my career category page work here.
Faces of the Fleet
Faces of the Fleet is an episodic, docu-type series that follows Sailors from all walks of life. Each episode offers a glimpse into an individual Sailor’s life to show how the Navy is a unique experience for everyone.
I was tasked with writing all navy.com copy for several FotF episodes, using only footage from the shoots. This copy includes episode titles, biographies that are gripping yet authentic, multiple site headlines and detailed yet digestible job descriptions relevant to each episode. Below is a list of the FotF episodes I handled copy for:
Episode 28: The Fighter — Kaylah Gillums
Episode 30: The Programmer — Marie Oberlin
Here’s a breakdown of my category page work, courtesy of the Aviation Category.
Traditional
That’s right, I can go old school.
Location
Washington, D.C.: South Capitol, Navy Yard/Nationals Ballpark
Goal
Target the Navy Yard area within D.C. to reach prospective Sailors in high foot traffic areas
Medium
Static and digital billboards, video display boards
To help the Navy stand out in D.C.’s crowded military and government space, I wrote headlines specific to each OOH’s placement. For the Nationals Ballpark, I kept things baseball related. For the South Capitol placement over a bank, I honed in on the Navy’s bonus offers.
Check out the full gallery of billboards below.
D.C. Video Display Boards
Direct Mail
Navy Chaplains
Chaplains are an invaluable pillar in the Navy, but they present a unique recruiting challenge as typical bonus and benefit language doesn’t entice them. So, I shared a message with them that would mean more than any bonus or benefit — the Navy is their opportunity to answer the highest calling.
Navy Reserve
The Navy Reserve is one of the most misunderstood yet most important aspects of the Navy. It was my job to communicate how the Navy Reserve allows Sailors to serve on their schedule, from their home, while still enjoying the same Navy benefits and experiences as Active Duty Sailors.
Navy Nukes
No, Navy Nukes aren’t bombs. They’re the brains behind nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and subs. These Sailors are some of the smartest people in the world, and they’re usually found among bored college drop outs. I had to introduce them to the only place in the world that could challenge them — Navy Nuclear Operations.
Right front panel
Right back panel
Left back panel
Left front panel
Chaplain Mailer
Reserve Mailer
Right back panel
Left back panel
Right front panel
Left front panel
Right back panel
Left back panel
Right front panel
Left front panel
Nuke Mailer
Experiential
You thought you had to be a Sailor to experience the fleet? Think again, civvie. Below are some ways I was able to bring the Navy to every day civilians.
And by “I”, I mean the creative gremlin on my shoulder and my phenomenal team.
360 Photo Booth
Born out the Navy’s need to represent at Super Bowl LVII, my 360 photo booth has been used by our Experiential team ever since. Visitors get to strap into real Navy parachutes for a selfie as they jump from a plane. For the Super Bowl activation, users got to toss a football around during their “jump”.
Strike Group Signage
AD: Theo Trandafir
The Strike Group is the Navy’s mobile, mixed-reality tour that brings the fleet to the public. Through VR, simulators, and interactive tech, visitors take on real Navy missions, like launching jets off a flight deck, maneuvering a SWCC boat, and in this case, breaching a submarine through an ice sheet. One of my responsibilities with The Strike Group was to make sure visitors understood the arctic mission ahead of them.
Strike Group Wraps
In addition to writing signage for the actual Strike Group experience, I had the opportunity to write headlines for The Strike Group’s mobile units, so these lines have driven around the country. One is the hero headline on the wrap of our VR jet launch game, and the other includes all the copy on our Support Cube experience, where visitors experience life as a Navy healthcare provider. Both of these lines have since been used in additional assets and platforms.
Billy the Goat Lens
AD: Courtney Shaw, Theo Trandafir
In this lens, users transformed into none other than Billy the Goat. When they opened their mouth, Billy bleated some top tier goat trash talk. For the 2024 Army Navy game, we used trash talk from our onsite signs. This lens was such a hit that we repurposed it for the 2024 Liberty Bowl game, and the lines were Navy-pride-ified for that match up.
The complete list of Billy lines is here:
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Army gets left out of the group chat
No one gives a ship about Army
Army needs AI to generate a playbook
Army uses speakerphone in public
Army’s wifi password? Password.
Army would’ve given up the ship
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Don’t give up the ship.
Navy is the G.O.A.T.
Play BAAAAAA-LL
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead
Mess with the goat, you get the horns
Get salt in your veins
Digital Content
If it’s in the digital space, I’ve done it. Video boards in packed stadiums, Reddit Category Takeovers, animated banners, static banners, high-impact media…you name it, I’ve written it. Here are some of the highlights.
2024 Liberty Bowl
AD: Theo Trandafir
Not ya mother’s banners! These video board placements played at the 2024 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Classic Football Game.
Reddit Category Takeovers
A Reddit CTO is a high-impact media buy where a brand dominates all ad placements within a specific subreddit or interest category for a set time. A CTO includes top banners, sticky banners, promoted posts and branded display units.
CTOs ensure maximum visibility among highly targeted users who are already engaged with a relevant topic, making it ideal for niche audiences or interest-driven campaigns. It’s my job to grab them with quick banner headlines and promoted post copy.
Sports CTO
America’s Navy frequently has CTOs of sports or fitness focused subreddits. Most recently, a CTO of the Outdoor, Fitness and Wellness subreddit and Sports subreddit allowed us to promote our new Special Operations campaigns, Spotlight and Not Normal. Below are examples of my headlines for all our recent Sports CTOs.
Art Directors
Courtney Shaw, Theo Trandafir
STEM CTO
Since the Navy is so much more than just brawn, STEM and gaming-centric CTOs regularly present themselves as opportunities to recruit people for jobs such as Cyber Warfare Technicians, Cryptologists and Nukes, which gives me an opportunity to speak to an entirely different community of people (and flex my gamer brain).
Snapchat
Our Snapchat assets drive a huge percentage of viewers to navy.com. Here’s a quick look at how I use only a few words to get recruits in 20 seconds or under.