Legion billboards create brand awareness

Veterans and civilians in the state of Connecticut are becoming increasingly aware of the presence The American Legion has in their community. It’s due to the brand awareness initiative that the Department of Connecticut implemented – advertising on dozens of billboards, of various sizes, throughout the state.

"If people in every town know where we are and are proud to have us there, we’ll be regarded as a community asset," said Bob Murray, past Department of Connecticut commander who came up with the billboard concept. "And hopefully veterans will see the advantages of membership and association and will want to be a part of (the Legion)."

The bright yellow billboards display the department’s website and the slogan "We need you in The American Legion."

"They’re eye-catching and hard to ignore," Murray said. "Brand awareness is certainly a quantifiable result of our displays in the community. We are hitting every aspect of public relations hard, and we won’t stop until The American Legion is a known commodity to everyone in the state."

The department also implements brand awareness – part of the Legion’s five-year strategic membership plan – by hanging banners and placing ads in local newspapers and magazines that replicate the billboards appearance. More than 200 posts have purchased a 3-foot by 6-foot vinyl banner from the department to display outside the post home or at community events – "anywhere the post needs signage and a recruiting message," Murray said.