I could have called this post about our trip to the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico “A lesson in how the Marines are schooling their sister services and businesses in general in brand identity and marketing,” but that’s way too big a title. But…yeah. They are. They’re good.
I think it’s mostly because the Marines are about recruiting without being about recruiting. They’re out there, telling the Marine Corps story, following every successful guideline I’ve ever seen a marketing professional recommend to a company or personal brand. They haven’t forgotten, as others have, the need to create and bolster relationships with current “customers” of the brand in the drive to create new ones. They reach out to educators, as they did in the case of Mom’s educator conference, they reach out to the public to show them what they do and what it’s like to be a Marine, they put a human face on the automaton the public has grown to expect {thanks, Hollywood}, and they give current Marines a hell of a lot of pride in being a Marine. The Marines are successful because they understand the return on relationships. Their sister services – and businesses in general – could learn a lot from them!
Okay, media and marketing lecture done. I just want to throw in a couple more highlights along with the story I told yesterday about meeting {and getting interviewed with} an Iwo Jima veteran. First, as a media and marketing nut and the niece of a primetime producer who spent a huge amount of his time managing war correspondents and reports and walking the ground in inhospitable countries, I was especially interested in the displays on war correspondents through the ages. There have always been people drawn to telling the stories of amazing things. It was nice to see the tribute paid to them.
The last picture I slid in there is the Oscar presented to the Marine Corps. Yes, an Oscar presented to the Marines for a documentary they filmed. I find this awesome on so many levels. And speaking of awesome…
This is just one of many historical pieces contained in the museum – it’s the flag that was flown at Iwo Jima. It hangs next to a Japanese good luck flag. Also in the museum are pieces of the Pentagon and pieces of the World Trade Center’s steel girders from 9/11. Pieces of history on display for everyone to come and see.
If you’re in the area, check it out. It’s a grittier, less varnished version of American history than you’d ever get at the Smithsonian, but it’s definitely worth seeing.
