Marketing team helps OOIDA attract new members

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

When it comes to advocating for small-business truckers, that’s precisely what the Marketing Department of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is tasked with doing – making sure drivers hear the sound of the metaphorical trees.

Whether it’s educating members about the myriad of discounts and services OOIDA has to offer or passing along details on the Association’s latest advocacy efforts, the dedicated marketing staff is there to spread the word to truckers.

Lighting the fire

That messaging starts with Marketing Director Katie McDonald. Despite having been with the Association for less than a year, McDonald’s impact on OOIDA has already been felt and seen at truck shows and on social media. While she may be new to the trucking industry, McDonald said she came into her new role with a passion to help truckers.

“Going through the pandemic, trying to go to Target and for the first time in my entire life, there was nothing on the shelves,” McDonald told Land Line. “I think it really opened my eyes not only to how important it is, but how little credit they receive and how underappreciated they are.”

The same driving force is evident in all the other members of the marketing team, including Jordan Sedgwick, OOIDA’s brand engagement specialist. She said she developed a “heart for truckers” after being introduced to the industry in 2016.

“I started as a driver manager, so I was managing 30 drivers – just hearing the day-to-day frustrations,” Sedgwick said. “I now have that passion and it’s in my blood and I’m probably going to be in the industry for a long time.”

That soft spot for truckers led Sedgwick to seek out an opportunity with OOIDA, landing a job in the marketing department as a fuel card specialist in August 2022.

For Robin Bakker, marketing assistant, that eye-opening moment came after she started with the Association in August 2023 and has served as motivation to help advance OOIDA’s mission.

“It wasn’t until I got here that I was like, ‘These truckers don’t get bathroom access or overtime pay?’” Bakker said. “And learning about all of that, it just made me want to market more just so that everyone can realize how awful it is out there.”

A solid game plan

Having passion for what you do is important, but it’s also important to have the knowledge and tools to do your job effectively. In her short tenure with OOIDA, McDonald has shown that she is more than capable of leading her team in the right direction – especially in a time of positive change within the industry.

“Strategy is the most important thing that this department does for the Association. We have to take really complex information and drill it down in a way that’s easy to understand,” McDonald said. “Making sure that we are hitting our members and prospective members with the right messages at the right time to the right audience is something that we haven’t really done in the past that we’re doing now, and we’re really seeing the benefits of that.”

One of the staff members helping to execute the Marketing Department’s mission is Digital and Ad Specialist Amber Munir. She said in her nearly two years with OOIDA, she is most proud of how the department has built an online presence, especially among younger drivers.

“I think just kind of helping bring in that younger audience and engaging them more, especially online, and showing them that this is what OOIDA is a part of and what we’re actually doing,” Munir said. “We’re able to connect with them a lot better than we were 25 years ago.”

While the team is still in its infancy – having spent less than a year together – its members have quickly learned to move cohesively toward a common goal.

“I have a great team. I love how energetic and passionate they all are and open to brainstorming and making all of the crazy ideas that we come up with come to life,” McDonald said. “Everyone here is very eager to learn. They’re very eager to step up and do whatever it takes to get our name and our message out there to support truckers. Regardless of if they’re a member or not, we are still supporting them.”

One of the first big tests for McDonald and her team came in March at the Mid-America Trucking Show. For 2025, McDonald said the marketing department set out to “make a big splash” by modernizing the look of OOIDA’s booth at the event. It wasn’t just the appearance McDonald wanted to change – but also the message the Association was sending to those in attendance.

“I wanted it to be front and center: ‘Hey, right now, your job sucks big time. You’re not making very much money. You’re competing. The freight recession is obviously historic in length. This is how you support your family,’” she said. “We want to show you that we’re here to support you, and that was really the most important thing for me.”

One way the Association did that was through a “Wall of Gratitude” located on the back side of the booth. In addition to a screen with personalized messages from OOIDA employees thanking truckers for all that they do, there was also a white board where attendees could write thank you messages to their favorite truckers.

“If you read the messages, the most heartfelt ones are kids who are thanking their mom, dad or grandpa for what they do every day,” McDonald said. “The fact that small children understand the grit, the grind and the sacrifice that it takes to be on the road every day is pretty amazing and pretty heartfelt.”

After the truck show, the marketing team had the “Wall of Gratitude” hung in the cafeteria at OOIDA’s headquarters in Grain Valley, Mo. – a reminder to all employees about the dedicated members they are working to serve.

Hitting the road

McDonald said that one of her best marketing tools – as well as her “biggest educator” when it comes to the trucking industry – has been Marty Ellis, the driver of OOIDA’s tour truck.

Ellis has been with the Association since March 2021, but his passion for trucking and OOIDA’s mission started long before that.

“I have been a proud member for a long time before coming to work for the Association, and now as part of the OOIDA team, I am very proud and humbled to be a small part of such a great association,” Ellis said. “I often wonder how I could have gotten so lucky to work with some awesome people and to serve a great group of members.”

While Ellis shows his humility by saying he’s a “small part” of what OOIDA does, to the members and those following on social media, he’s the face of the Association. Munir said that members will ask, “Where’s Marty?” if he hasn’t posted in a few days.

“He’s someone who’s like them, and it’s a way that they’re actually communicating with one another because it’s the language they both understand,” Munir said. “Every one of his posts are met with positivity – because it’s OOIDA. But it’s a truck driver’s face that’s on OOIDA, and it’s the way they see themselves.”

For Ellis, his job isn’t just about spreading the word about OOIDA. He’s also looking to build on the over 150,000 small-business truckers and drivers the Association represents.

“Marketing not only helps get our message out – which our members need to know – but it also helps attract more drivers to the Association, and we all know numbers matter,” Ellis said. “The more members that are in the Association, the stronger the voice is.” LL