"Qualities not Qualifications"

This is re. the tagline new army officer recruiting ad.

What do the officers here make of it? Funny thing is, it reminds me a bit of the ORs ads from a few years back (and of course, my own bugbear, not a stitch of desert DPM in sight, the officers are in the Balkans or supplying logs for the brave boys fighting some fictitous Shock Army).

Also, the themes seem to me to be even more ridiculous than the normal army recruiting ad (yes, blonde attractive twenty-something woman playing football in the park with your friends, making decisions is just like looking for your lost ball, or yes, handsome dark-haired twenty-something bloke, stopping a Serb militia is just like being a London club doorman)?

I've always thought that the "Be the Best" campaign onwards was shite. This for me confirms it. So is it (A) dumbing down? (B) Getting with the kids? (C) Something else entirely.

I know they're not aimed at me, but that doesn't mean I can't see them for the pap they are. Someone is getting paid a lot of money for these ads, after all.

V!

 

A load of dumming-down papp...........I believe that if you collect enough 'tokens'*, you can become a Guards Officer too.

(* Just take them into the Army Careers Office to exchange them for a nice new uniform)

 

My favourite was "Join the Professionals for Action, Travel and Adventure"

That was what to poster said when I joined.

That was what I had by the time I left.

So no complaints from me.

 

Anyone else think they should run the old Rudyard Kipling's "If" recruitment ads again, or maybe revamp them (If you can keep your head when those around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you etc)? I'm fairly sure these were occifer ads.

I must have been a young kid when those came out, but I still remember them.

 

i prefered the frank receruitment adds, oh to be frank on the beach with the chicks

 

Wouldn't exactly make me join up if I hadn't already signed on the dotted line.
I mean, "Qualities over qualifications." That's just implying some horrible little oik has a chance of being an officer. Damned shocking.
But seriously, it's hard to see what their target audience is at all.

 

Did you see the mock up of the 'Frank' ad? Frank skiing, Frank playing footie, Frank with the chicks, Frank driving his DROPS , Frank in a body bag.

 

Hmm Qualities not Quals? Are they trying to make Non Grads more acceptable or is it just the marketing companies idea? Hmmm

 

Well I've got loads of good qualities innit. I can out run the rozzas and I'm well stealthy. Those security blokes don't notice me nicking gold bling from Argos.

I've even got me asbo as a qualification innit.

Can I be an officer?

(it's a joke. Honest).

 

Might do better than some I could mention!

 

Was it written for Prince Harry?

msr

 

We do need to distinguish between adverts which make us feel good to be part of the organisation, and adverts which are good at recruiting. For instance, RM's 99.99% Need Not Apply obviously makes Royal think that he's hoofing. Unfortunately, it also means that 99.99% don't bother to apply - so they're having problems recruiting.

The key thing we need to do is get people to consider a career in the armed forces. Once they've done that, hopefully the facts and the blokes will speak for themselves. However, at the moment, lots of undergrads don't even consider the army as an option (perhaps thinking it's a career for thickies, isn't challenging, is poorly paid, etc). The challenge is to get them to look beyond their prejudices about the armed forces, and show them the facts.

Not sure whether that's got anything to do with the current campaign, as I haven't seen it (although I do believe that one of my bezzers, who has something of a pretty boy reputation, may be a star!)...

 

Cpunk, how long did you spend working in civvie street before you joined the army?

msr