I saw this Army Special Forces ad at a conference a couple months back. This is a brilliant piece of work as far as advertising is concerned. Very creative, instant impact, perfect message execution… this ad has it all. “Marketing” and “branding” are sometimes considered bad words, but this ad proves what real branding is about: effective communication. I wish our military would learn how to be better communicators to the public.
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ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Another “special” ad added these pithy words on Oct 13 06 at 6:57 pm[...] A very “special” ad[...]
cold pizza added these pithy words on 28 Apr 06 at 6:39 pmBrilliant!
Sonagi added these pithy words on 28 Apr 06 at 6:43 pmDid seeing this ad prompt you to consider enlisting?
Younghusband added these pithy words on 28 Apr 06 at 7:02 pmNo, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t work!
Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 12:28 amThe alternative view is that it reminds one of the Viet Nam era motto that “military intelligence’ is an oxymoron…
Younghusband added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 4:47 amAre you talking about the time Clinton deployed the Very Special Forces to Iraq?
Joe added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 8:16 amI’ve seen stats that the Department of Defense is one of the top advertisers in the US in terms of budget. Up there with the soft drink companies, the auto dealer groups and Geico.
And to tell the truth, the military really does make some powerful ads. Especially the Marines… their ads are downright inspiring. Make you want to put on a uniform and go out and kick some ass.
Tagore added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 9:08 amI find some of the US military advertisements to be down right upsetting. For example, there were adverts which switch between a videogame and reality. War is clearly not a video game and it is dishonorable to veterans to portray honorable military service and sacrifice is this light.
Curzon added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 9:18 amTagore: agreed. It’s a tasteless recruiting tactic, but one that’s been effective.
germanicus added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 2:09 pmRememeber, the media that accepts the ads doesn’t particularly give a damn if the ads are upsetting or not. They get their coin either way, and that is all that seems to matter to them.
Admiral added these pithy words on 29 Apr 06 at 3:17 pmThe ad was based on a little ploy I pulled in Ft. Meade, Florida. Turns out there were plenty ready and willing to scale walls to enlist. The heartland of America.
Joe added these pithy words on 30 Apr 06 at 3:34 amHonor doesn’t sell these days. Image is everything.
I mean, people who want the honor don’t need an ad to join the armed forces. There just isn’t enough of them to fill demand, so now the military has to go to the video gamers. And those dude(tte)s have already shown a certain affinity for “blowing shit up,” one of the core principles in the DoD mission statement.
Sonagi added these pithy words on 03 May 06 at 7:39 pmIf our military were used primarily for defensive purposes, perhaps military recruiters could rely more on honor rather than enlistment bonuses and clever ads to motivate Americans to join.
