The Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) could be compared to a powerful aircraft carrier cutting through the waters. First, it’s big. With an operating budget in the neighborhood of $30 million, it occupies about 500 acres, which includes two clubhouses—one is in Arlington, Va., and the other, about 14 miles away, in Fairfax. There are 54 holes of golf, 32 tennis courts, six pools and a wide range of dining options. A battalion-sized staff (more than 500), serves a membership that exceeds 7,300 (some nonresident).
Second, it has an intricate and complex set of systems and facilities together with an expert staff of technicians and engineers that not only keep this ship sailing, but also do it in a highly efficient and sustainable way. For example, one of its clubhouses, offering over 100,000 square feet, has been recognized with a LEED Silver Certification (read more about their clubhouse in “Resource Management with Scale and Scope” in the Summer 2016 issue of Club Trends).
Finally, the operation is mission-focused, with a management team, board leadership and engaged membership that consistently keeps things on an upward trajectory, delivering a premium membership experience and extraordinary value. The Army Navy Country Club has been recognized as one of the elite Platinum Clubs ® of America and its general manager, Patrick King, was selected this past year to receive the James H. Brewer Award for Excellence in Club Management, which is made to an outstanding manager among larger-sized clubs.
This sort of success does not come overnight. The Army Navy Country Club has been in operation since 1924. Its location, just outside the Washington, D.C., is an area rich with the traditions of the U.S. government and its military. The grounds of ANCC include the remnants of Fort Richardson, which was constructed at the outset of the Civil War and played an important role in the defense of the Washington. The #9 green for the Arlington’s Red Course is on the Fort Richardson site. ANCC’s members have included such heroes and luminaries as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, General Omar Bradley and Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Barak Obama.
Branding Challenges
It seems clear that the Army Navy Country Club has a very well-recognized and successful brand. Its identity is distinctive; it’s meaning well-established as a result of an interesting and noteworthy history; and it delivers a modern offering that is rich and varied.
But throughout its operation as a club, the ANCC has faced its share of branding challenges. Let’s start with the name: The Army Navy Country Club. In fact, the ANCC was once the Army Navy and Marine Corps Country Club. At some point in the club’s history the Marine Corps appellation was shed, although not the Marines themselves, as General Manager Patrick King is quick to point out. Marines continue to be represented in the club membership. The reason for this alteration in the club’s name has not been recorded, though perhaps the Army Navy Marine Country Club was just too much of a mouthful and that the name got abbreviated in common parlance. The name was voted on and changed by the membership in 1930.
ANCC’s name continues to supply both benefits and challenges. The club’s ties with the U.S. military are an important part of its heritage and its appeal today. But the Army and Navy as institutional names get applied broadly, and thus it is a challenge for the club to appropriate them in a way that is uniquely its own. For example, there is another fine club in Washington, D.C., with a very similar name: The Army Navy Club. This latter club, perhaps in an effort to distinguish its own identity will sometimes refer to itself as The Army Navy Club on Farragut Square.
More generally, brand confusion or blurring of identity is a problem that many brands routinely face and while the precise approach may vary, the solution will typically involve emphasizing another element in the brand’s identity system: logo, color, message, offering or positioning.
Another challenge for the Army Navy Country Club is communicating clearly with all its potential audiences that it is a private, member-owned country club. It is not a military club or an officer’s club, nor is it owned or operated by a government or quasi-government entity.
While the Army Navy name confers positive association to the club, it can also create or support misperceptions. For example, military service or other explicit ties to the military are not a condition for membership. In fact, over time, more and more of the members of the ANCC are not active-military, nor are new members required to have an explicit military connection in either the past or present.
Elsewhere in this issue, we have observed that one of the reasons that brands are frequently long-lived is that their identity and meaning can “flex” to meet changing circumstances and to assert new relevance. Currently, there are significantly fewer active duty military personnel serving in the D.C.-area and the economic expansion in this area has simultaneously squeezed out many middle- and low-income earners with its high cost of living—and attracted more high-earning households. This is an evolution of the market for country club membership that ANCC has had to factor into both its strategic planning and membership development programs. This means its brand has evolved in a similar fashion.
Deploying the Brand
Of course, adjustments to the brand—its expression and its meaning—have not subtracted from the brand’s importance to ANCC in communicating its meaning and mission to its members and the larger community. Furthermore, its brand identity continues to express itself daily in all manner of club activities and assets.
For this reason, the club’s managers act as diligent brand stewards. King explains that the aim is consistency in both setting expectations and then in delivering on those in manner that is alignment with the larger brand promise. This begins with being direct and intentional in setting standards for how the brand appears. The Army Navy Country Club has clear brand guidelines that establish how the logo and seal should look and where it can be used. It has a brand style sheet that provides instructions for brand communications: color, signature blocks, email support and other examples.
One area in which ANCC has shown itself especially skilled is in working brand identity into its broad array of facilities and services. Branding has played an important role in blending the different club sites, Arlington and Fairfax. The club emphasizes that it is “One Club with Two Locations.” Architectural branding elements ties the two together, similarly styled brick entrance gates signal entry onto the club grounds. Interior decoration favors the American Federal Style and rooms frequently bear the name of military heroes: Nimitz, Arnold and Bradley. Small details and subtle nuance also provide an important integrative function: golf score cards share ANCC branding as do the various menus. Flags fly prominently and proudly at the club: The Stars and Stripes for sure, but also the Virginia state flag and all the service flags.
Living the Brand
All great brands carry a compelling story that unites the brand community and signals its greater meaning and significance. The Army Navy Country Club cultivates a story of service and love of country. Staff training is elevated with new meaning when they are reminded that they will often find themselves “serving those who serve the country.” The ANCC likewise turn outward to the community to express its commitment to service. The ANCC Foundation works to preserve the history of the club and also to reach out in service to the community. The recent government shutdown was an opportunity for the club to help out with food, clothing and other needed services.
The ANCC expresses its brand identity in ways big and small, structural and symbolic. With 44 directors, the club’s governing board is larger than most clubs, in part to accommodate the bylaws that require representation from active duty members. The club has also found ways to make membership more financially feasible for members of the military, especially junior officers. The club spirit, which animates its brand presence, is often on display at social events. The Member-Guest is a great expression of the club heritage and its robust offerings. It succeeds in drawing great interest, expanding brand awareness and building member pride. And you always can count on the club to deliver a busload of fans to the annual Army-Navy football game. No matter who wins, there’s a brand celebration.
Club Trends Spring 2019