SANTA BARBARA, CA. April 22, 2022 – A recent survey of Post 9/11 Veterans, ages 21-44, find they outpace the general market in spending power, employment and purchasing. Refuel Agency, the largest provider of media + marketing services to reach military, teen, college, and multicultural consumers throughout the U.S., published their latest Refuel Agency Military Explorer Series™ with some surprising results about these unique consumers.
There are 40 million people in the military community—including active duty, reserves, veterans, spouses, and their dependents—representing 12% of the total US population. Of these, Post 9/11 Veterans alone wield $198.7B spending power, up $16.5B compared to 2020 (GfK MRI-Simmons). And with that purchasing power we see strong spending as online shopping increased 30%. Like their predecessors, the new veterans are loyal to brands that support the military community, and they are 21% more motivated by “Made in America”.
The Refuel study also found Post 9/11 Veterans are transitioning careers and locations. Refuel found a 34% increase into non-military careers including Business Operations, Architecture, Engineering, and Information Systems. Colorado Springs and Atlanta indexed the highest for new locations to live. As a result, there is a 47% increase in home furnishing and improvement planned spending.
In the past year, Post 9/11 Veterans have leaned into Military-focused media outlets as their trusted source. Base access has increased for them whether with the new VHIC card or as Federal Employees on base. With this we have seen a 3X increase in influence by OOH ads among Post 9/11 Veterans. The study also showed year-to-year increase in connections to military associations and veteran service organizations.
Liz Carmo, VP Military Market at Refuel Agency explains, “Post 9/11 Veterans are 32% more likely to be employed full-time so brands should be paying attention to this audience. Knowing how to creatively and authentically reach the military audience is key.”
To learn how brands can authentically reach military consumers, visit https://www.refuelagency.com/military-marketing-PR.
About Refuel
Refuel Agency is the largest provider of Media + Marketing services for brands and agencies to reach military, teen, college and multicultural audiences. Refuel is the agency for agencies and for over 35 years has worked with almost half of all Fortune 500 companies, as well as most top 100 agencies and hundreds of boutique agencies, reaching over $1.5B in total billings. Refuel is headquartered in Santa Barbara with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Princeton.
