One voice, one force: Identity at the USAF

Design Management Journal, Winter 2002 by Cooke, Kenneth R

In 1947, the US Air Force was established as an independent branch of the American armed forces. By 1999, it had more than one million members divided among nine specialized commands, each with its own mission and esprit de corps. Looking to encompass this diversity with a single identity, the USAF engaged Kenneth Cooke and his colleagues and discovered that design-through a new symbol, a new slogan, and new advertising--could help instill unity, organizational pride, and a strong public image.

Plagued by tribalism, declining enlistment, and low retention, the US Air Force initiated a comprehensive rebranding program in fall 1999 to portray the USAF as a vital, technologically superior fighting force, as well as to celebrate the traditions and sacrifices made by airmen and airwomen throughout the history of flight.

The Air Force had come to realize through research and self-assessment that it was essential it project a single identity and speak to a new generation of recruits and active-duty personnel in a more contemporary voice. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Mike Ryan (now retired) wanted an identity study that focused on more than a symbol, more than a slogan. He wanted to unify the culture and reinforce the mission of the Air Force in literally everything it does. After a rigorous vetting process, Siegelgale was selected to handle the challenging assignment.

What is the message?

As part of an extensive fact-finding study, we literally lived with Air Force personnel, visited air bases and command centers around the world, examined historical artifacts, photographed everything that wasn't classified, audited thousands of print communications and presentations, and read countless books and documents. We also conducted hundreds of interviews, covering the gamut from airmen to generals to high-ranking government officials.

Not surprisingly, the Air Force is not a wide-open culture, particularly to civilians. Were it not for the cooperation and assistance of USAF Public Affairs, headed by Gen. Ronald Rand and an impressive team of public affairs specialists, we would never have been able to get the job done. The chief of the project, Lt. Col. Robert Williams, pointed out early on that while today's Air Force is dramatically different from that of Gen. Henry (Hap) Arnold, the USAF's first commanding officer, it is still steeped in history and honor-bound tradition.

There are three core values that drive the Air Force: excellence in everything it does, service before self, and integrity. But as frequently happens, these values were not communicated and reinforced throughout the organization or externally. Consequently, they were not really understood by the general public. Research conducted by the Air Force with civilians, as well as other services, revealed that the USAF was seen as an organization of nine-to-fivers, not warriors. They had the corner on speed, not courage. They were seen as professional, but soft.

We learned that the reality is quite different. Air Force Special Operations Group personnel drop into hostile territory to establish forward command capability and call in precision air strikes. The Parajumpers of the USAF Air National Guard come to the aid of those in trouble at sea (as recounted in Sebastian Junger's book, The Perfect Storm), and are tasked with rescuing pilots downed behind enemy lines, regardless of the terrain or danger. Every day, Air Mobility Command is engaged in global humanitarian efforts. Space Command manages all US satellites, including GPS, as well as our ICBM silos and Cyber Warfare Center, and Air Combat Command speaks for itself. Clearly, there is much more to the Air Force than most people know.

Brand positioning

Prior to this project, the Air Force had been using the slogan "Aim high" for all its recruiting efforts. Although this phrase worked reasonably well as a call to action for recruiting, it was less successful at reinforcing the heroic qualities of service before self, excellence, and integrity. Contrast this with the Marine slogan, "The few. The proud." Theirs is a very clear and concise message. The Marines even turned the fact that they are the smallest force into an advantage by focusing on their elite status. General Ryan was looking for an equally compelling way to describe the Air Force.

After all our interviews and strategy development, the insight for the brand positioning cami from an unexpected source: a conversation during a recent humanitarian mission in which the air forces of several countries participated. A commander from one of our allies told the USAF commanding officer that "no one comes close to doing what you guys can do."

When we heard this story, we immediately realized its power. The positioning, "No one comes close," clearly establishes the USAF's unrivaled position as the best air force in the world, with the very finest personnel, as well as the service that takes the best care of its own-a powerful rallying cry for active-duty personnel and recruiting efforts, as well as a clear and compelling descriptor for the general public.