When two legendary shipbuilders — Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding — merged to form Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the new company required a clear, unified identity. It was important to reflect the combined 130+ years of shipbuilding heritage while positioning HII as the nation’s premier military shipbuilder.
The brand needed to resonate with critical audiences, including the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps, Congress, and shipbuilding communities in Virginia and Mississippi during a period of heightened budget scrutiny and debate over naval force structure.
Qorvis led the strategic branding and messaging effort for the newly formed HII, developing a comprehensive brand platform that unified the legacy companies under a single, forward-looking identity grounded in quality, craftsmanship, and national security.
We created integrated advertising campaigns across print, radio, online, and television to reinforce HII’s role in building and sustaining the Navy’s fleet. Campaigns highlighted the company’s skilled workforce, advanced technology, and critical contributions to U.S. defense.
Qorvis also designed and executed targeted “capture campaigns” to support key shipbuilding priorities, including aircraft carrier funding and the LPD and LPD Flight II programs. These efforts expanded HII’s communications footprint into new media channels — including television, online video, and social media — while continuing to leverage established defense and regional outlets.
Qorvis also managed comprehensive media planning and buying, conducting research to guide placement strategy across Virginia and the national capital region.
HII established a cohesive national brand that reflected its scale, legacy, and strategic importance to U.S. defense. The campaigns were well received by target audiences and industry stakeholders and earned HII its first advertising award recognition.