I sometimes wish that we took on branding as seriously as we did this culture change buzz word.
Ultimately, we're trying to sell a service, the Sevice as it would be, and do a pretty bad job of it. We don't get to push the narrative we want, instead, we react to our own bad press as if it's the be all end all.
Inclusion initiatives sell to one aspect of our target audience. Hair, grooming, appearance etc. may be a limiting factor to some folks for wanting to enroll. It's no longer an issue. Some may not feel the CAF is wholly inclusive to minority groups, again, we're dealing with it and removing that barrier to enrollment.
That said, these aren't the only angles of our brand we need to get better at and refine:
-We have a reputation for being poorly equipped and lagging behind other NATO allies; get the kit people want to work on and make sure you're projecting the leading edge of technology in everything we do.
-The vast majority of our population lives within 20-45 minutes of an urban centre of some kind. The majority of our defense establishments are 45 to 90 minutes away from any form of urban centre; find ways to make serving in our units more urban friendly. The how is a lot more complicated, for sure, but it is definitely a barrier for a lot of cultures within Canada we are actively trying to recruit.
-Pay is always going to be a sticking point. We need to embrace it and find creative ways to make sure every CAF member from Pte to General feels that the King's Shilling actually goes somewhere in theirbday to day life. Does that mean a ham on every table and 2 cars in every garage? No. But we need to have the facilities and supports in place to house and support members and their families wherever we send them. To have pers defer postings because it will lead to financial ruin is definitely an image problem the CAF wears more than the individual member; regardless if they're the ones that shot themselves in the foot financially.
When I worked civi side in an media relations agency, we were constantly told "do a test, then reassess" with anything we were trying to push out. We have pushed out some initiatives, now is the test portion. If folks aren't flooding the CFRCs, we need to reassess. That doesn't mean the effort is wasted, it just means it didn’t hit with the target audience.
Keep trying different things until you get your hook. Not all the things that you try will land with every audience. Until you cast a wide net, don't claim there aren't fish to be had.