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Launch of the Military Families: Strength Behind the Uniform Campaign

As the Military Family Services Program (MFSP) grows and evolves, it’s important that Canadian/Military Family Resource Centres (C/MFRCs) have common tools and resources to maximize awareness about the programs and services available to Canadian Forces (CF) families.

That’s where the MFSP Marketing Advisory Committee comes in. This group of MFSP stakeholders and Director Military Family Services (DMFS) staff first stood up in 2007 to develop the Military Families: Strength Behind the Uniform campaign. On 7 and 8 April 2009, the committee regrouped to discuss the way ahead following the “soft” launch of the campaign which took place at the CF Family Services Summit II this past January.

“This campaign is all about awareness,” said Gaynor Jackson, Executive Director of MFRC Esquimalt. “We’re not necessarily here to get every military family knocking on the doors of an MFRC. It’s about making families aware that we’re here and letting them know what we can do for them.”

The committee also evaluated campaign materials, such as the banner, poster, brochure, memo board and post-it notes, all of which have been distributed to C/MFRCs.

“My MFRC is already using these materials in the community,” said Michelle Greene, St. John's MFRC Executive Director. “I sent memo boards out to a hockey tournament and a figure skating event, and ended up seeing one on my own mother’s fridge. It’s great! People are holding onto them, passing them on and putting them up.”

The committee stressed the importance of moving the banners around regularly to increase visibility and discussed how to encourage C/MFRCs to set up exhibits at community events. The committee recommended that DMFS develop workshops for C/MFRC staff and volunteers on exhibit strategies, briefing techniques and media relations to ensure that their outreach efforts are successful. Keep an eye on the DMFS website for the most up to date version of the Military Families: Strength Behind the Uniform Campaign Coordination Guidebook. 

Ways to evaluate the success of the campaign was another major topic of discussion. The committee recommended that DMFS monitor the frequency of calls placed through the newly established 1-877-280-3636 number and the number of hits to the www.mfrc.ca website. C/MFRCs will also be asked to answer a very brief questionnaire about their use of the campaign materials to determine what is working and what isn’t. This information will assist the committee on the way forward for the second phase of the campaign.

“We want the Military Families: Strength Behind the Uniform campaign to last a long time,” said Brian Gallant, MFS Information Manager. “Our world keeps changing and we need to evolve with the needs of the community.”