Most memorable recruiting "ads" and "military commercials"?
Throughout the years there have been some absolutely awesome military advertisements (print, magazine/newspaper, billboard, theater, television, radio, online, etc.); so, what is that particular one that you remember most? Is/was there an ad that impacted your view of the military or desire to serve (or continue to serve)? In order to maintain a fun and interesting discussion thread, selections need not be necessarily modern or even officially service sponsored; although, it would be interesting to see how the official service-sponsored versions has influenced us all. Also, if there was a military program (drag race, NASCAR, Armed Forces sports, color guard/honor guard/ceremonial detail/drill team, community support, parade, military band, "wrapped" vehicle(s), Blue Angels, Tops in Blue, sponsored recruiting events, etc.) or military event that was highly visible to the public, what impact did this have on your image of the military? This should be an interesting and exciting discussion, so fasten your seatbelts and let's get the conversation rolling; thank you for all that you do, and... see you all in the discussion threads!
Recruiting
Retention
Marketing
I know this sounds cheesy but anything Army Strong. The song is easy to get stuck in your head, the PR campaign and message they're sending is a strong message (yeah, pun intended), and the visuals used in most of the commercials are pretty legitimately bad-ass.
However, I had a friend studying marketing say that Be All You Can Be is one of the most successful advertisement campaigns in our country's history so they definitely got it right on that one.
Epic fail of course, without a doubt goes to Army of One...
Very true CPT Miller, you bring up an excellent point... the 'Army of One' campaign was IMHO an epic example of missing the point; the team concept is hopelessly lost on a campaign that celebrates the individual, many of us at MCRC cringed at this idea back in the day. I think many of us would agree that 'Army Strong' was a vast improvement; I absolutely agree, great point... thanks for sharing!
After they show how Webster's dictionary defines 'strong' they make the statement (with the videos and the great music), "But with all due respect to Webster ... There's Strong ... And then there's Army Strong"
Great ads PFC Minchey, I remember these well; here's a good another great one from this year's Super Bowl... thanks SGT Welsh! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7L5QByvXOQ
This is an awesome ad that helped to shape public opinion and certainly helped to focus the target recruiting audience's expectations; no promises, looking for the 'right' raw recruits... Absolutely brilliant how the message matches the organization's requirements, and how the advertising, recruiting, and training are related and maintain a thread of consistency in terms of message and desired end state.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sWW0nxi9bw
Marine Corps Commercial: "Chess"
A Marine Corps commercial from 1990, "Chess."
As far as commercials go... These two are the most memorable when I was growing up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLKQUoykE1g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKPJL15QKvM
This is the commercial that I remember most, and probably had the most impact on me personally; also, as far as the Marines are concerned, the history books serve as the their best recruiting "advertisement:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKPJL15QKvM&list=PL19B6E9790422B426&index=8
Thanks for sharing Cpl Fittizzi, sometimes I tend to forget that some of these older ads may not have even been viewed, this ad was/is important in the historical development of the Marine Corps advertising narrative, the direction for the new ads were conceptualized many moons ago, as Marine ad campaigns tend to "roll-out" very slowly, it tends to take quite awhile for the larger narrative to unfold. Thanks for sharing, I'm happy to hear that the new ads resonate... it's great to hear your thoughts, thanks again for sharing!
I was an Executive Officer of a Recruiting Battalion when the "Army of One" recruiting slogan came out. When it was released my Battalion Commander and I looked at each other and basically said WTF.
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