It’s the kind of TV spot that would appeal to any 17 year-old. Young heroes fire rockets at an unseen enemy, while a rock beat thumps in the background. A voice says: “Rocket science is more fun when you actually have rockets.” Viewers are then directed to a Web site containing detailed information and many of the same images.
What’s being sold? A venerable brand known as the United States Navy. And the whole idea is to get young people into uniform.
Developed by the Campbell-Ewald agency, the multi-channel effort generates hundreds of thousands of leads per year and draws an average national conversion rate of around 5%, according to Keith Clark, vice president and senior account supervisor for Campbell Ewald.
Despite the Iraq war and a lower marketing budget than the Army’s, the Navy has made its recruitment quotas every month for three years straight, according to Clark.
As it turns out, the branding part is the easiest. “With the Navy, it’s not about manufacturing an image, only articulating what already exists,” Clark noted, speaking at the Direct Marketing Association’s Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans.
So how do you lure a kid into the adventure of a lifetime? Like any lead generation effort, the Navy’s goes through several stages.
The TV spots emphasize “the excitement of the navy, the technology, the sheer physicality and grandeur of it,” said Joel Bernay, senior vice president and creative director for Campbell Ewald. One focuses on the Aegis weapons detection system (“the most powerful search engine on the planet”). Another tells viewers: “Most jobs reveal what you do. Your Navy job reveals who you are.”
The spots are now so well known that the tune by the rock group Godsmack is seen by young people as the Navy song. When asked by an admiral what he thought of the band, one young sailor said, “Sir, they rock, sir.”
All commercials, whether TV or radio, end with the line: “Accelerate your life. Log on to the Life Accelerator at Navy.com.” And that brings young candidates to the next stage in the process.
The Life Accelerator is an aptitude test with 54 questions. Roughly 750,000 young people have taken it since its inception in 2001. Overall, the Web site draws 15,000 unique visitors per day.
Also offered online are monthly Webcasts on the boot camp experience, how to become a Navy seal, and other topics. All feature naval personnel. “To date, we’ve had over 400,000 downloads recorded.” said Gary Sikorsky, vice president and senior account supervisor for Campbell-Ewald.
Visitors are also invited to access Your Virtual Recruiter, which provides detailed information about the recruiting process itself, including a week-by-week description of the boot camp regimen.
Once a lead is received it is sent by e-mail to the recruiters, whose job it is to close the deal. The candidate soon receives a phone call or a visit. There’s no hard sell. Some candidates are rejected (the No. 1 disqualifier is obesity). But thousands start their Navy careers and get training and life experience.
Do parents object to the action content in the commercials?
“It’s a non-issue,” said Clark. “You have to be straightforward with these young people. It’s the military. There’s risks, but also great rewards.”
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