Recruiting Posters, Slogans and Commercials [Merged]

[Good2Golf]

That is indeed a Herc in the background, just far field overexposure that distorts the C-130's profile.  White upper and bare aluminum lower fuselage was the paint scheme of the day, just like the Boeing.

I distinctly remember the "No life like it!" ads that had these guys hustling their briefcases down the air stairs from the Boeing, briefcase in hand.  They couldn't have captured the "little men in green suits" functionary bureaucratic theme any better...uugh! :not-again:

G2G

 

[dimsum]

I can see it ... if you want I'll send them to you via other means.

Oh no, it's quite alright.  Just reading the descriptions from you guys on the thread has put mental images in my head  :-X

But...are there any glorious moustaches?

 

[daftandbarmy]

A bit of background, as it was told to me by the officer in the picture: The young officer was a CELE (Air) captain working at Trenton ~ he had an undistinguished military career but a rather more successful one as an engineer with TeleSat ... he just happened to be near the flight line on the day the ad agency was shooting the piece and he was dragooned into it. I'm no sure if they did any photoshopping or if, just as likely, a foreign aircraft was in Trenton for some reason.

Further to Old Sweat's comments: the ad actually did some good, in its own way. It crystalized some senior officers' thinking about what had gone so dreadfully wrong with what should be, actually, a fairly simple business. Some of our leaders began to fight back ... it was, and it remains a loooooong uphill struggle and there has been much backsliding on the way, but I think we you the CF saw the one error of its ways. Of course, for every admiral and general who saw that management was destroying both leadership and the military ethos there was another general or admiral who thought exactly the opposite. We were seeing, in our own senior ranks, what Evelyn Waugh described in the Sword of Honour series of novels ( in Officers and Gentleman, I think, but it may have been Men at Arms or Unconditional Surrender) as military men being, in reality, just "heavily armed civilians."

Several colossally bad decisions ~ including e.g. the formation of Air Command ~ date from that period.

The Royal Marines have an impressive PR machine and have produced a good range of videos to go along with their ad campaigns

https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalMarinesOfficial

You could adapt this to just about any combat arms occupation, I would say. However, the Marines I've talked to say that this type of advertising (very warlike etc) can backfire and tends to represent how currently serving members would like to see themselves represented in the public eye as opposed to what the uninformed civvy wants to see.

As a result, I understand that they have  a hard time filling their recruit training billets.

 

[Haggis]

Someone, somewhere, here on Army.ca, was looking for this:

(Thanks to RAdm John Newton for the "find.")

That was me.  Thanks.

 

[jollyjacktar]

The Royal Marines have an impressive PR machine and have produced a good range of videos to go along with their ad campaigns

https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalMarinesOfficial

You could adapt this to just about any combat arms occupation, I would say. However, the Marines I've talked to say that this type of advertising (very warlike etc) can backfire and tends to represent how currently serving members would like to see themselves represented in the public eye as opposed to what the uninformed civvy wants to see.

As a result, I understand that they have  a hard time filling their recruit training billets.

I guess Pussies need not apply.  I've seen their commercials and for me I find them the most attractive ones out there. 

 

[The Bread Guy]

The Royal Marines have an impressive PR machine and have produced a good range of videos to go along with their ad campaigns

https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalMarinesOfficial

You could adapt this to just about any combat arms occupation, I would say. However, the Marines I've talked to say that this type of advertising (very warlike etc) can backfire and tends to represent how currently serving members would like to see themselves represented in the public eye as opposed to what the uninformed civvy wants to see.

As a result, I understand that they have  a hard time filling their recruit training billets.

The Physicality video was particularly mesmerizing!  Thanks for sharing the link.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The Physicality video was particularly mesmerizing!  Thanks for sharing the link.

You're welcome.

|And, of course, it doesn't relate at all to what you actually do in a Commando unit. But oh well....

 

[Coffee_psych]

So I came across a few posters in the recruitment office in my hometown targeting women to join the army.  I thought the posters were tasteful and showed a good side of what the CF was trying to do. This article describes how they are trying to increase the number of women in the military from 16% to 25% in only 3 years.  One of the posters (in the article below) is of two women hugging, however some people decided that the posters were too "lesbian-y".  If you're a woman or a man who has many women in your life, you would know that women hugging is a very common thing.  Even gay women and straight women hug all the time.

So I want to know, do you have a problem with this advertisement? Or do you think it fits in with other campaign material to get women to join the CF?

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/the-canadian-military-worried-that-its-female-recruitment-campaign-got-a-little-too-lesbian-y

 

[The Bread Guy]

If it's been quoted correctly and in context*, when I read something like this ...

... "There was a concern that the photo implied a romantic relationship," reads the document. "It was suggested that a group shot would be more appropriate, but we felt that this would have less 'poster power,'" the ad agency writes. "Our recommendation is to stay with a photograph of two women, but have them pose in a way that clearly suggests nothing more than friendship." ...

... I think, "welcome to design by committee."

* -- I notice the writer, like most doing these kind of "documents obtained by" stories, didn't share the document to let us judge.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Part of the problem for me with that ad is that if you changed one element and made it a male and female soldier hugging, we would have an instant Operation Honour air strike called down upon the CF.

Can't have both ways. You know- equal treatment and all.

 

[Blackadder1916]

So I want to know, do you have a problem with this advertisement?

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/the-canadian-military-worried-that-its-female-recruitment-campaign-got-a-little-too-lesbian-y

Well, it's been quite some time since I wore uniform so I may not be up to date with all the latest about wearing patches and stuff, but why is one of the women in the "poster" shown in the article an American soldier?  Or at least, why is she (if she is Canadian) wearing the SSI of the 1st Infantry Division on the right shoulder - as an American soldier would for previous wartime service?

 

[RedcapCrusader]

Vice is a rag.

Can't stand it.

 

[dimsum]

Well, it's been quite some time since I wore uniform so I may not be up to date with all the latest about wearing patches and stuff, but why is one of the women in the "poster" shown in the article an American soldier?  Or at least, why is she (if she is Canadian) wearing the SSI of the 1st Infantry Division on the right shoulder - as an American soldier would for previous wartime service?

I'm betting that this is a pic of 2 US Army soldiers.  The one on the left has the US Army ACU-style pocket flaps, and the one on the right would have the Canada flag on her shoulder (under the hand of the soldier on the left). 

 

[Blackadder1916]

I'm betting that this is a pic of 2 US Army soldiers.  . . .

That's what I thought.  Probably typical that the ad agency just grabbed some stock images of women in uniform, but doesn't anyone at NDHQ notice these things.  This is discriminatory.  Aren't our "lesbian-y" women good enough?  I know outsourcing is in vogue, but this is ridiculous.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

It is also my experience that women tend to hug more than men for all sorts of reasons, both in the military and in civvie life. Men are not above some deportment: just think about a bunch of guys who have just won a hockey, soccer or other team sport tournament.

The only problem I have (other than using a US soldier picture  :facepalm with the poster is that the overall picture does not provide any context that let the viewer come to the conclusion that such hugging is warranted by the circumstances.

 

[George Wallace]

The only problem I have (other than using a US soldier picture  :facepalm with the poster ........

The Canadian media and public more often than not will pick any photo of military personnel or equipment to augment their 'statement'.  They are not in any way familiar with AFV or uniform recognition, so will most often pick a photo that they find first in their search, which quite often is an American publicity shot. 

Solution:  All MEDIA must take AFV and uniform Recognition Courses.    (We all know that will NEVER happen.)

[

 

[Haggis]

Solution:  All MEDIA must take AFV and uniform Recognition Courses.    (We all know that will NEVER happen.)

[

Let's get together to develop and market such a course to the media.  We'll call ourselves "experts".  That should work.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... why is she (if she is Canadian) wearing the SSI of the 1st Infantry Division on the right shoulder - as an American soldier would for previous wartime service?

I noticed that, but (silly me) I figured someone would have called the ad agency on it during the "creative" process if it WAS an American soldier.

Then again, since the journalist didn't share the "obtained" documents, we can't tell if the agency WAS called on it or not.  :facepalm:

 

[mariomike]

^ 1st Infantry Division. The Big Red One.

Men are not above some deportment: just think about a bunch of guys who have just won a hockey, soccer or other team sport tournament.

Hard to imagine Lee Marvin needing a Man-hug. He might give another guy a pat on the back.

"You're going to live, even if I have to blow your brains out."

 

[Pusser]

^ 1st Infantry Division. The Big Red One.

Hard to imagine Lee Marvin needing a Man-hug. He might give another guy a pat on the back.

But Clint Eastwood would have taken a warm soapy shower with the right marine.