Released back in January, the new "a better you" by Karmarama, has met mixed reviews upon release. Imploring people to join the Army to be a 'better you' has not gone down all that well on Twitter.
Join the army be a better you. A better type of ptsd sufferer a better homeless person a better angry brutal cop. Don’t join the army. @NECcollectables
"To find out how to be a better you search army jobs." Nah, you’re alright mate; my "best me" involves neither murder nor colonialism. @triceratops1892
Without delving in the debate surrounding whether anyone should even be joining the British Army, the advert itself it adopts a very interesting approach to attracting new recruits.
The ads continue the "don’t join the army, don’t become a better you" strapline, which first appeared in poster ads earlier this month. Karmarama created the TV ads (as well as the posters), each of which shows young men and women talking round parents and friends about their decision to join the army with an impassioned speech about the benefits and experiences they'll miss out on if they don't sign up.
The new TV campaign is aimed at 16 to 24 year olds but the advert also targets the Career Gatekeepers - parents, friends, carers, teachers and career advisers. This group has an important role in career choices made by school/university leavers. If this career option is dismissed this can have a major impact on the final decision as the individual often highly values their opinion. The older members of this group (parents,carers) often value their own opinion over that of the young individual they are trying to advise, adopting the all too familiar "I know best" mentality. But when they see these impassioned speeches from these young people it might challenge their belief that these young people are too naive to make such a big life choices.
It is not often that a mirror is held up to us so we can see what we are like or how we behaviour, but when it is it can have a powerful effect on us. Here the career gatekeeper can see the scenario that they may or may not experienced first hand played out in front of them. The only difference this time is that they have the chance to hear what these young people have to say. After hearing these compelling arguments, it invites the viewer to question their own opinion and may encourage them to have more of an open mind when listening to the opinion of potential recruits.
It is always hard to challenge an authoritative figure's "I know best" mentality, especially because their opinion is often based on life experiences which are hard to refute. But this TV campaign is certainly has a interesting approach to tackling it.
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