We’re Aptive’s in-house, creative marketing studio built on research, strategy and decades of expertise. We connect with audiences. We convert awareness to action. We captivate with award-winning work.
Recruitment and Branding Support
Aptive provided recruitment, branding and marketing support to OPM’s initiative to build and maintain a successful talent sourcing strategy. The Aptive team also provided technical assistance and guidance to federal agencies on expanding their reach and building a strong, qualified candidate pipeline.
Life/Work Balance
How do you attract top medical talent to rural America? We developed a unique rural recruitment campaign for VA to flip the script on “Life/Work Balance.” Using the findings of our research team, we designed an award-winning campaign spotlighting the benefits of locations of VA Medical Centers around the country with custom illustrations and taglines.
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Recruiting Health Care Providers
Client: Veterans Health Administration
Aptive supports the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in recruiting the top medical talent across the country to provide Veterans with the best care this nation can offer.
Safeguarding Tomorrow, Today
DCSA needed a video to communicate their mission and role in protecting national security to everyday Americans and versed policymakers alike. While much of DCSA’s work can’t be seen by those outside the agency, we created an award-winning video to showcase the critical behind-the-scenes efforts that safeguard the nation—bringing visibility to the people, partnerships and processes that protect America’s most sensitive information and systems.
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Recruitment and Branding
This project bolstered marketing efforts related to sourcing, hiring and retaining National Park Service employees. We implemented a comprehensive recruitment strategy, proactively target a diverse workforce for sourcing and outreach and define metrics to analyze success of their recruitment strategy. Tactics included developing a communications and marketing plan, updating the NPS careers website, creating a video series, deploying a paid media campaign and developing a suite of recruitment-related communications materials.
New Heights
When we set out to create a PSA about VA’s innovative use of Virtual Reality (VR), we never imagined it would earn an Emmy Award. Inspired by the stories of real Veterans, and featuring a restored WWII-era aircraft, we brought to life how the VA is using cutting-edge technology to transform care and healing for those who served. The ad generated nearly 70 million impressions for VA across over 24,000 national airings. Aptive’s media team also secured over 18 million in added media value for VA.
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In Their Own Words: Veterans and VA
Mike Becker, an Airborne Veteran, was handed a terminal diagnosis of a rare and aggressive bladder cancer and given just weeks to live. With the support of VA Patient Advocate Greg Donohue, Mike was able to fast track treatment options and prolong his life a year past his dire prognosis. It is because of the heroic, unseen work of Patient Advocates at VA that millions of Veterans every year are able to get the care that they need, when they need it. This piece is a living testimony to Mike Becker and of the impact individual actions can take in the outcome of someone’s life.
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From Homeless to Housed: Stories from Native American Veterans Assisted Through VA
Aptive partnered with the VA Homeless Programs Office to tell real stories of Native American Veterans, using the video as an opportunity to encourage other Veterans experiencing housing instability to learn more about VA’s housing resources.
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Behind-the-Scenes Efforts That Safeguard the Nation
DCSA needed a video to communicate their mission and role in protecting national security to everyday Americans and versed policymakers alike. While much of DCSA’s work can’t be seen by those outside the agency, we created an award-winning video to showcase the critical behind-the-scenes efforts that safeguard the nation, bringing visibility to the people, partnerships and processes that protect America’s most sensitive information and systems.
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Expanding the Reach of Science and Engineering Statistics
A division of the National Science Foundation, NCSES leads the nation in delivering statistical data on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). While NCSES produces valuable insights through dozens of annual reports, it faced a challenge: some of its publications were dense, difficult to digest and not reaching a wide enough audience. To increase the accessibility and impact of these resources, NCSES partnered with Aptive to reimagine how its data was presented and shared.
How Innovation is Transforming Grants Management
How do grant dollars make a difference for the American people? And how is the government using AI and emerging tools to unlock powerful data insights? Aptive brought these questions to life in a dynamic video for GrantSolutions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showcasing how innovation is transforming grants management.
Powering the Grid: How Energy Storage Is Shaping America’s Energy Future
Aptive partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity, to create a compelling overview video that highlights the vital role of energy storage in strengthening grid resilience, advancing clean energy, and powering the future of America’s energy infrastructure.
My VA Benefits
Aptive created a series of videos for the ChooseVA campaign to educate Veterans on the benefits available through VA. We conducted interviews with Veterans to understand what messaging resonated most, and used real Veteran actors to ensure authenticity.
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What You Earned
Our design and copy team introduced a new strategy to educate Veterans about the value of their benefits by breaking down the actual dollar amounts Veterans can save with VA. The PSA generated 213 million TV impressions, 40 million digital impressions, and our paid media team garnered nearly $3 million in earned media placements for VA.
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Get What You Earned Sizzle Reel
At Aptive, serving Veterans is personal. As a Veteran-owned business that prioritizes hiring Veterans and military spouses, we take pride in connecting Veterans like us with life-changing VA benefits. Learn more about how Aptive supported the ChooseVA campaign and connected a record number of Veterans with care and benefits.
Corporate Video
What does it mean to love where you work? We developed this video as part of an employee recruitment campaign with the Washington Post.
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Office of Patient Advocacy – Martin Longoria
Aptive worked with VA’s Office of Patient Safety to create this Patient Advocate video. Martin Longoria is a Patient Advocate with the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System. He is a combat Veteran whose mission is to help every Veteran as much as possible.
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Photography
Aptive’s photography captures the moments, people, and stories that bring missions to life. From events and leadership portraits to on-location storytelling, our team delivers high-quality imagery that elevates brands authentically and communicates impact.
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Fact Sheets
Aptive designers are skilled in creating both print and digital products. We work with clients to understand their vision and mission for a communications product, and provide insight about the best ways to reach their target audiences and drive action.
Resource Guides
Creating presentations and resource guides for internal staff shouldn’t be boring. At Aptive, we bring them to life, expanding on brand guidelines to craft visually engaging, easy-to-use materials that inform, inspire, and empower teams to do their best work.
Postcards
Yes, snail mail is still a viable way of reaching audiences! We designed this postcard layout for the Department of Energy, along with a collaboration of The Office of Minority Programs (OMP), and The DOE Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP).
Annual Report
Our design team crafts annual reports that turn a year of accomplishments into a compelling visual story. By combining clear data presentation with polished, engaging design, we help clients capture attention and communicate impact.
Illustration
Our designers translate complex concepts into clear, compelling visuals, custom built for audiences. from infographics that simplify data-heavy research, to custom artwork that brings a brand narrative to life, our work is grounded in strategy and finished with craft.
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Times Square
We create high-impact Times Square ads for clients like the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping organizations connect with their audiences in one of the world’s most visible stages. Our Times Square billboard for the ChooseVA campaign generated 10.5 million impressions and $1.6 million in added media value at no cost to VA.
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Transit Advertising
We turn public transportation into moving billboards that reach audiences across cities. The ChooseVA bus wraps alone delivered 372 million impressions and $1.86 million in added media value for VA.
Billboards
We plan and execute high-visibility billboard campaigns across key markets, helping brands stand out in the public landscape. In our work supporting VA, we have developed billboard series highlighting the benefits of working for VA and available job opportunities, as well as specific benefits VA can offer Veterans, including home loans, education and health care.
Banner Signs
No event is complete without engaging signage. From palm cards to lifesize banners and other large-format displays, our design team creates pieces that elevate every event. For example, our Department of Energy banners helped amplify their message at high-traffic events.
Sports Arenas
In collaboration with organizations like Monumental Sports, we place ads in arenas nationwide, engaging audiences during live events and creating memorable brand experiences.
Desktop and mobile advertising
Desktop and mobile skins surround webpage content, providing an innovative and interactive approach to engaging with Veterans and their families. By “immersing” the content audiences view in ChooseVA-branded content, we help drive more audiences to take action and learn more.
Get What You Earned
Across ChooseVA advertisements, we use straightforward messaging that emphasizes what Veterans care about most, informed by message testing with target audiences.
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Animation: “Meet Dill”
How does the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) use data? Meet Dill, and see how Aptive illustrators reimagined how data is used to protect national security.
Technology Innovations
Aptive partnered with the VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT) to develop engaging creative products that communicate complex technology initiatives in clear, compelling ways. Through strategic design and digital content, we helped showcase how OIT’s innovations support better services and outcomes for Veterans.
Website Design and Development
We design and develop websites for a range of federal government clients, creating clean, accessible and user-friendly digital experiences that meet federal standards and reflect each agency’s mission and brand.
Animations
Our animation team brought the illustrations to life, transforming static artwork into dynamic ads that captured attention and invited new audiences to explore the services available through NLS at Library of Congress.
Streaming & Connected TV
Many of our public ad campaigns extend into national TV and streaming platforms like Hulu and Roku, creating cohesive, cross-channel campaigns.
Social
VMSTEP is a strategic program management office that oversees and supports VA employment initiatives for transitioning service members, Veterans, military spouses, survivors, caregivers and family members. To increase recruitment and retention of this population, Aptive provided strategic communications, marketing and branding support, media relations and outreach and social media support.
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Custom Illustrations and Creative Copy
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress is a free audiobook and braille library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual or reading disability that prevents them from using regular print materials. When NLS asked us to revamp their outreach campaign, we developed custom illustrations and creative copy to reflect their unique services.
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Annual Report
Our design team crafts annual reports that turn a year of accomplishments into a compelling visual story. By combining clear data presentation with polished, engaging design, we help clients capture attention and communicate impact.
Protect Your Move Campaign
Aptive developed the visual identity for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Protect Your Move campaign, helping raise awareness about moving fraud and how consumers can avoid it. Through custom photography, targeted messaging, and cohesive design, our campaign contributed to over 50% of site visits, 42,000+ resource downloads, and 10.8M impressions from radio ads.
Design Examples
Aptive designers transform complex data into compelling visuals that are both engaging and instantly understandable, turning information into impactful design.
Logo Design
Developing a new logo is a chance to reimagine and elevate a brand’s identity. Aptive partnered with the Office of Grant Solutions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to design a range of dynamic logo concepts that reflect the program’s mission and modernize its visual presence.
Vet Centers Rebrand
Aptive partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to refresh the Vet Centers brand, creating a modern, cohesive identity that better reflects the mission of supporting veterans and their families. Through updated visuals, messaging, and design standards, the rebrand helps Vet Centers communicate their services more clearly and connect more effectively with the communities they serve.
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