Making A Direct Impact:
How CLYDE Reached an Untapped Audience Of Millions With a Research-Driven Brand Initiative.
N A V Y F E D E R A L
01 ⎹ Challenge
For most of their history, membership in Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) was available only to active-duty service members, military spouses and families, and Department of Defense employees.
But when NFCU decided in 2017 to make membership available to the entire veteran community, they activated CLYDE to develop a high-impact brand initiative that would maximize their opportunity—and their commitment to serving America’s Veterans.
For NFCU to demonstrate genuine value for their new audience, it was essential that we design an innovative, impactful way to provide service members and their families with actionable resources as they transition out of active duty and into civilian life.
02 ⎹ Strategy
CLYDE developed and steered a two-pronged research effort. We partnered with NFCU’s internal research team to identify key quality of life metrics that Veterans prioritize, as well as an external team to gather and analyze more general quality-of-life metrics.
We then overlaid the findings together and analyzed them. The result: the “Best Cities After Service” initiative—the first-ever deeply-researched ranked list of U.S. cities that offer Veterans the best overall quality of life. To launch “Best Cities After Service," CLYDE partnered exclusively with USA Today, and hundreds of organic pieces of positive coverage have followed in the years since.
03 ⎹ Impact
NFCU’s “Best Cities After Service” initiative has been running for seven years and counting. Today, the annual list is an eagerly anticipated and expected event that consistently drives engagement and positive media coverage for NFCU. Since its inception, “Best Cities After Service” has been featured in national press, on Fox News's Mornings with Maria, in the top military trades, throughout local media, and much more.
CLYDE’s strategic approach not only helped NFCU reach and serve their new audience—it also resulted in a high-impact initiative that continues to cement Navy Federal Credit Union as an industry leader and trusted resource for Veterans.
An intentionally designed research-driven brand initiative helped Navy Federal Credit Union reach a massive new audience—and continues to cement their legacy as the largest military credit union in the country.
IN ⎹ Action
“Best Cities After Service” has been so effective for NFCU that CLYDE continues to support it with an integrated campaign that includes sponsored content, owned content, digital ads, and satellite media tours.
10,000+ media hits
924% increase in media placements
500+ top-tier placements
A continued client since CLYDE opened