I know we've been asking for more advertising of the Canadian Forces...

[Scott]

Heard my first ever radio ad for the CF today. On C100 Halifax. Pretty big market station.

And it was my girlfriends car, that's the only reason the radio wasn't on the Q.  8)

 

[bgc_fan]

I dont see that as a likely problem. The ads are what need to attract people to think about the military, they're not what convinces them about it. If they dont renew their contracts, its because they didnt enjoy their time in the military, or dont need to be in it anymore. Whether they joined because they needed to, or because they wanted to do all the cool stuff promised on the ad which they didnt get to do, its not the ad that makes them  not renew their contracts.

That's true, I guess I'm just looking more on the retension side of things. I'd hate to see a situation where time and money is spent training a huge amount of people, but only retaining a handful past their first contract.

That said, I think the recent TV ads are pretty nice, showing the various activities done in the CF.

As an aside, another 2Lt doing OJT with me stumbled onto a recruitment drive at the local mall run by the reserves. He said it impressed him enough that he would have joined again. 

 

[SeanPaul_031]

They should have infantry soldiers design the recruiting ads, no one will do a better job

 

[Haggis]

They should have infantry soldiers design the recruiting ads, no one will do a better job

Not exactly....

Several years ago a Reserve Infantry unit put up posters asking "Have you ever wanted to command enough firepower to level a city block?"

Didn't go over too well in a university town....

 

[AznVengence]

I like the TV  commerical for the CDN forces better, it seems more serious. in ways

 

[Forgotten_Hero]

That said, I think the recent TV ads are pretty nice, showing the various activities done in the CF.

I think they'd be better if they were more like the Slovenian recruiting video, which emphasises the idea that the military is a much more unique, exciting and adventurous job than any normal civvy job.

http://www.slovenskavojska.si/video/opk/mors_eng_60s.mpg

 

[Journeyman]

"Have you ever wanted to command enough firepower to level a city block?" - - Didn't go over too well

;D  I like it

... the Slovenian recruiting video
http://www.slovenskavojska.si/video/opk/mors_eng_60s.mpg

Well done vid. Perhaps a dopey question 1.....but why is it in English? They speak Slovene.....and in ethnically mixed areas, Hungarian or Italian - - not English.

--------------
1 Not relevent, but I've learned to ask questions, after that tragic occurrence when I said "I do" without thinking through the consequences, or asking enough questions   

 

[GAP]

Excellent recruiting video...CF could learn a lot from that...impressed

 

[jmackenzie_15]

I propose the members of Army.ca hold some kind of contest to see who can put together the best Advertisement for the CF as voted by Army.ca's members.

the winning advertisement gets sent to Ottawa with the following list of demands:

Use this, and many things like it, or we'll take away hockey again.

that is all.

 

[monika]

Use this, and many things like it, or we'll take away hockey again.

I call your bluff! I'm a Leafs fan - I haven't seen hockey since Chirstmas

 

[jmackenzie_15]

I call your bluff! I'm a Leafs fan - I haven't seen hockey since Chirstmas

As am I, which makes it a low risk high reward plot for me !  >

 

[Forgotten_Hero]

I propose the members of Army.ca hold some kind of contest to see who can put together the best Advertisement for the CF as voted by Army.ca's members.

the winning advertisement gets sent to Ottawa with the following list of demands:

Use this, and many things like it, or we'll take away hockey again.

that is all.

Thats actually not a bad idea. The CF, IMO, should do something like this at a unit size. Each unit makes their own video, and the winning video recieves some sort of prize... the video can then be used, or it can be spliced with other segments of other recruiting videos.

 

[Zartan]

And lord only knows that the entry and the prize together would cost less than the production of the real ads themselves.

 

[jmackenzie_15]

And lord only knows that the entry and the prize together would cost less than the production of the real ads themselves.

no no nothing that big , i just mean like a simple video or audio clip put together by people here on their own time at home with whatever they can find.... somebody else said they could make better ads with a decent microphone and some sounds, lets see it  >

seriously, we should do it.

Put a vote up on army.ca when theyre all done, and the winner gets a "congratulations! you dont suck!" email, and we send the winning advertisement to somebody in the government and pray it works out as well as the tim hortons request for K-town.

Hey, itll be fun at least, lol.

 

[Kiel vonAachen]

Hi guys. I haven't seen or heard the ad campaign for the Canadian Forces, but from your comments, it sounds pretty lame. From the it-could-only-happen-at-the-Pentagon department: Did any of you see the US Army billboard campaign that used group photos of young soldiers, and in large letters along the bottom, it read,"We love our privates." Apparently, the Pentagon received lots of e-mails requesting more specific information, but so far, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has not clarified which privates the ads were referring to. This is rather unusual for uncle Donald since he usually explains and clarifies everything in such great detail that most Americans get a headache when watching his press conferences.

 

[Zartan]

Sorry, I wasn't being sarcastic back there. I'm 100% certain that us soldiers could whip up something that would kick in the teeth of any of our current advertisements, certainly the radio ad. The TV ads are rather good, but it seems that are other print and radio ads seem to rely more upon taking advantages of stereotypes and being politcally correct than effective ("Army pays for University? Radical, dude. Snoonch to the Noonch," etc.)

However, in a way, I think that the ads are directed in the wrong way, in essence. Let's face it, how many of us have wanted to be in the Armed Forces for as long as we can remember? The ads had no influence upon our decisions to join, and I'm sure those poster declaring "the Canadian Forces celebrate "racially minority" heritage month" aren't influencing anybody else. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, myself, but what I mean is that the forces could perhaps focus more upon convincing people who have felt inclined to join but haven't into seeing the Forces as a viable option for their career or side career. Plenty of folks I know have expressed their wishes to join, but haven't for one reason or another.  We need the means to attract them into the fold, and the means to actually handle their recruitment.