The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is letting Cadets and Midshipmen know that Team Exchange has their six with its latest patriotic trailer wrap, which will be on display at the 123rd Army-Navy Game on Dec. 10 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
With “Where Heroes Play, Where Heroes Shop” in large letters against a camouflage background, the trailer wrap reminds the military community that their Exchange benefit is here to serve them with tax-free shopping and military-exclusive pricing—whether they are serving today or served in the past.
The trailer wrap was designed by the Exchange’s Senior Creative Director and Marine Corps Veteran Johnny Olson.
“It’s a pretty straightforward design,” Olson said. “The ‘heroes’ messaging speaks to the same individuals—the heroes who are playing on the field, the heroes that are shopping with us, the heroes who served prior and those who are serving now.”
The truck, based out of the Exchange’s Dan Daniel Distribution Center in Newport News, Virginia, delivers merchandise to Exchanges throughout the Department of Defense retailer’s Eastern Region, including Forts Bragg, Campbell, Benning and more.
Before the game, Cadets and Midshipmen can also tour a mobile field Exchange—a store on wheels designed to serve troops in remote locations during exercises and deployments—and learn more about how the Exchange supports service members’ Quality-of-Life during and after military service.
“We want every single Veteran to know what their Exchange shopping benefits are, whether it’s shopping online or, if they have a service-connected disability, shopping in our brick-and-mortar stores,” Olson said. “Part of the reason we participate in the game is to bring awareness to our Veterans who might not know much about their shopping benefit, and for those who are already an authorized customer, it reminds them they can shop tax-free and at military exclusive pricing thanks to their Exchange benefit.”
Olson said that the truck’s stark, standout design was intended to maximize visibility for those attending the game or watching from home, with the URL for the Exchange’s Veteran signup page, ShopMyExchange.com/vets, prominently displayed on all sides of the trailer—including the roof for televised aerial shots. A QR code that takes visitors directly to the signup page is also visible on the back of the truck.
“We get a lot of exposure, whether it’s on game day or having our truck in the background as attendees of the game are walking in, and with this design you don’t have to decipher much from far away,” he said. “You can see what it’s about, it stands out and it’s not hard to read the messaging.”
For Olson, however, the benefits of his team’s outreach efforts go far beyond the short-term goal of bringing in new customers.
“As I’m talking thousands of Cadets and Midshipmen, I like to think that one of them could be the future Chief of Staff or a four-star general,” he said, “and the impression they get at the Army-Navy Game about our relevancy, as they’re moving up the ranks, that they’re going to remember who we are and what we do, and the little things we told them: that we go where you go. That we give back to the community and will go to the ends of the earth to be there for our heroes.”
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