Marketing to military-affiliated consumers is one of the smartest plays a brand can make. This audience comprises roughly 10% of the U.S. population and shows strong loyalty when brands get it right.
But it can also be tricky to hit the right tenor with your marketing efforts. Military life brings constraints and expectations most civilian audiences never experience, and brands that treat service members, veterans, and military families like any other segment risk sounding tone-deaf to their needs.
Because we want all brands to see success with this target, we are laying out three of the biggest barriers we see when trying to reach military audiences and what you should do to overcome those barriers.
1) Limited Data Visibility & Difficulty Identifying Military Consumers (when you’re NOT marketing in the Commissary)
One of the first and biggest barriers you need to overcome is simply knowing who in your customer base is military-affilitated. Unlike other affinity groups, military status is not automatically captured in most CRM systems, retailers rarely collect it at point of sale, and privacy restrictions limit access to official databases. This doesn’t impact you if you’re marketing in the Commissaries and Exchanges, but figuring out who to target outside the gates can be tricky.
As noted in research from the U.S. Census Bureau, even self-reported veteran status is often undercounted due to inconsistent identification or reluctance to disclose. And for active-duty members, operational security (OPSEC) considerations mean many avoid volunteering personal details in unfamiliar platforms.
This creates a visibility gap. Brands might already have thousands of military consumers in their ecosystem, but without clear, ethical identification, targeting becomes guesswork. The result is either wasted spend (too wide) or missed opportunity (too narrow). It also makes personalization difficult, limiting a brand’s ability to speak to real needs in a timely, relevant way.
What you should do
Fortunately, this is a surmountable barrier if you build opt-in, value-driven identification pathways that help ensure you’re accessing the military audience. For example:
- Create loyalty program prompts that invite military affiliation in exchange for meaningful benefits.
- Use military-specific landing pages and partner networks (like those operated by bBIG) to acquire verified audiences.
- Offer clear explanations of how data will be used, emphasizing privacy and trust.
- Work with compliance-safe data partners who specialize in military audience identification and segmentation.
When customers want to tell you they are military (because you’ve made it safe, relevant, and valuable to do so) you overcome one of the biggest targeting barriers in the category.
2) Financial & Practical Stress That Changes Purchase Decisions
Military households face unique financial realities that affect when, how, and what they buy. From PCS-related moving costs (often out of pocket) to periods of separation or transition between active duty and civilian life, military consumers frequently prioritize reliability, price transparency, and risk reduction more than typical consumers. Large non-profit and research organizations have documented material strains that influence buying behavior and loyalty, such as housing challenges, gaps in benefits awareness, and food insecurity for some families. Marketers who ignore those pressures risk offering irrelevant or insensitive promotions. (Blue Star Families)
What you should do
Lead with practical value. Communicate clear, simple pricing and real benefits (for example, guaranteed delivery dates around PCS windows, extended return periods for families in transition, or educational content about benefits like the SCRA or Military Lending Act). Partner with trusted military-focused organizations to ensure offers meet real needs rather than assumptions.
3) Cultural Authenticity and Trust… Getting It Wrong Hurts
Military consumers are highly discerning about authenticity. They notice when a brand uses stock imagery, stereotyped copy, or “surface-level” gestures (flag graphics, token discounts) without real commitment. Conversely, brands that genuinely serve the community and who build programs, policies, or products tailored to military life win outsized trust. USAA is the classic example: its long-term, service-first relationship with the military community has consistently earned top trust and satisfaction rankings. Brands that try to shortcut this by parachuting in shallow “military appreciation” campaigns will be seen as opportunistic. (USAA News)
What you should do
Hire people who understand military life (veterans, military spouses) into marketing and product roles; test creative with military audiences before launch; support the community with meaningful programs (scholarships, hiring commitments, long-term partnerships) rather than one-off ad buys. Above all, avoid clichés. Focus on real stories, practical services, and measurable commitments.
(And maybe think about bringing in experts like bBIG to enhance your military marketing efforts)
Quick playbook: three practical moves to break down these barriers
- Make value portable: design offers, warranties, and loyalty benefits that survive a PCS and can be accessed nationwide. Consider a “moving-friendly” lead flow with extended return windows and simplified address changes. (Addresses barrier #1 and #2.)
- Invest in authenticity baked into operations: hire military-connected staff, partner with recognized nonprofits, and create measurable community programs (hiring targets, charitable contributions tied to outcomes). Don’t just advertise; integrate. (Addresses barrier #3.)
- Use the right channels and timing: military audiences consume media differently (base papers, spouse networks, military-specific digital publishers, and veteran-serving platforms). Combine targeted military media with broader digital for scale and use data to reach members during stable windows (just after PCS orders are received, during transition periods). Industry specialists like bBIG maintain military media networks that provide audience reach and data tools that reduce wasteful spend.
Final thought
Connecting with military consumers is neither impossible nor only for veteran-owned businesses or defense contractors. But success requires humility, systems thinking, and programs designed for mobility, financial reality, and cultural authenticity. When brands move beyond cheap symbolism and build real, measurable value for the military community, they earn trust. And with that trust comes unmatched loyalty.