Exchange Honored at PR Daily Content Marketing Awards for Mission Report, Expanded Patronage Campaign
The Exchange has been recognized as a leader in social media, digital and content marketing, receiving top honors at the 2024 Ragan PR Daily’s Content Marketing Awards at the Yale Club in New York City.
The Exchange, represented by Director/CEO Tom Shull, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing Sandi Lute and Vice President of Marketing Customer Engagement Julie Mitchell, was named a winner for Content Marketing Strategy and Assets and an honorable mention for Use of Social Media.
“It was an honor to attend the ceremony with Sandi and Julie to accept this well-deserved recognition on behalf of the Exchange,” Shull said. “It is always amazing to me how much we can accomplish, despite a limited budget, through the unparalleled passion and dedication of our team.”
The Exchange’s 2022 Mission Report, published in June 2023, won the Annual Report category. The report’s design, writing and editing was done in-house with a small team of communicators.
The theme of the report was “A Mission That Matters,” highlighting the lifelong benefit the Exchange provides those who serve and have served.
The mission report is printed and mailed to key stakeholders within the Department of Defense. In early June 2023, a digital version was immediately posted online and emailed to congressional staffers and key stakeholders while hard copies were delivered in mid-July.
The mission report was also shared with a Forbes reporter who wanted up-to-date financials and information on the organization. The report’s crisp presentation and readability gave a clear understanding of how the Exchange operates, helping to drive the positive story about the Exchange that published on Forbes’ digital platform in July 2023, reaching an audience of nearly 165 million.
The mission report’s team included Mitchell; Leah Miller, senior marketing manager; Robert Philpot, corporate communications editor & historian; Ryan Smith, corporate communication specialist; and Dora Trillo, art director.
In the Use of Social Media category, the Exchange’s Expanded Patronage campaign earned honorable mention distinction.
With this social media campaign, led by Miller, Social Media Analyst III Emily Zarsk and Social Media Designer Nate Trillo, the Exchange used Facebook and Instagram to inform Veterans as well as Department of Defense and Coast Guard civilians that they are eligible to shop tax-free for life with the Exchange.
During the second half of 2023, the social media team launched an aggressive five-month campaign to bring awareness of the patronage expansion to remind newly eligible shoppers to shop and save at the Exchange. One new post each week was created in-house to highlight the shopping benefit in fun, engaging ways with references to pop culture, current events and memes.
The campaign’s 17 posts reached an audience of nearly half a million. The expanded patronage content saw average engagement that was 78% higher than typical posts.
“These projects show what a small-but-mighty team of communicators can accomplish,” Lute said. “The Exchange’s Corporate Communication and Brand Marketing team is leaning forward in creative, efficient and exciting ways to tell the Exchange’s awesome story of service and support.”