To start off with, I've no problem with the military in principle. My Grandfather was an army man, I nearly did the Grosse Point Blank "Freak out and join the army" move after school.
The British army run ads where they show dangerous situations (like attacking a bomb factory), give you a list of options and ask what you would do. THere's usually only one right answer, and they say something along the lines of "if you got that right, you might be what we're looking for"
I've no problem with that, they show soldiers in actual real life danger.
What I do have a problem with is this:
www.mtv.co.uk/army
MTV are running ads on other UK TV networks where a man is stopped from going into a nightclub for wearing khaki shorts. We're then told that he's a soldier.
The quite attractive woman with the clipboard turns to camera and asks how he'll get in?
There's 4 options, but it turns out they're all correct.
Fitness: Guy runs home, gets acceptable pants, gets into club.
Teamwork: Guy calls a friend, friend brings pants
Leadership: Guy gets his mates to start chanting his name, so he seems famous and can get in.
Negotiation: Guy talks someone who probably won't go into swapping pants, so guy can get in.
On the MTV website, you see flashes of the army doing things like that but no danger. On tv, you don't see any actual army situations.
Either way, they're flat out saying " join the army, it will help your civilain life"
I find this to be disgustingly misleading, especially as the UK army are still sending troops to Afghanistan. Sign up, you might get immediately shot at!
I see this in my head every time those ads are on
BIG EDIT BEFORE ANYONE READS OR ANSWERS: Just to reiterate, I've no problem with military institutions, just this recruiting tactic.
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What they try to show with these kind of ads is that there is more to the army than that. It's clearly not meant as completely serious, but just to showcase 4 elements of army-life that might interest young people.
Recruitment ads are kind of nasty in general, and they get nastier when running operations are unpopular. Its still better than conscription and press gangs, though.
Last shot is usually the complete personell of a base, vessel or camp posing together with the slogan 'one team. one goal.' above them.
Still cheesy as fuck, and there's usually heavy elements of "check out what we get to work with!", but that's usually for jobs with the tech guys.
Generally speaking though, yeah, it's pretty disgusting.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Army ads that show dangerous situations are not on TV anymore.
Army ads that show soldiers at home having skills to deal with chaos of serious traffic accidents before emergency services arrive do not run on tv anymore.
An ad equating army skills to getting into a nightclub does run.
I don't think people are completely unaware, I also don't think you can fully understand the gravity of being in another country and being in a state of mortal danger until you are actually being shot at.
There may be more to the army, but it is completely dishonest to present a social benefit to people watching music tv channels, while not presenting the fact they are sending soldiers to very dangerous places right now. And lets face it, being in any army, that level of discipline, is pretty fucking serious.
EDIT: Also, MTV helping with army recruiting. MTV. ARMY. I really can't reconcile that in my head.
Beat me on 360: Raybies666
I remember when I had time to be good at games.
I don't get it. Just as well, given my days of wanting to be in the army are long over.
Beat me on 360: Raybies666
I remember when I had time to be good at games.
And as i said before, the point of that commercial wouldn't be "join the army so you can get proper pants to get in a night club" it would be "hey, in the army you get to experience these 4 aspects, just imagine how cool that would be in civilian life".
Of course it is not an honest representation of army life. It's a advertisement. If kids are interested in joining, *then* they will get their factual information. At least...I hope they do. I don't really know how honest recruitment officers are in Western European countries. I know that in the US they can be less than honest.
I'm waiting...waiting, for the Army to change it's slogan to "Fortune Favors the Bold." But I think they currently are getting enough riffraff that they don't have a problem with recruiting and are becoming more selective.
They also have posters in the subway where I live and there's a fairly new tv campaign as well. Both of these campaigns are similar in style: they show an image/shot of a crowd of what appears to be sad people at a UN food delivery site and a text which reads something like "You are needed somewhere right now".
In fairness you are reasonably unlikely to get deployed to Afgahnistan depending what area you go into, and pretty likely to get sent to the Solomans or East Timor.
Still, we have a 1,000 people in Afgahnistan, something like 20,000 regulars, so that's still 5% each year - probably higher when you factor in rear echelon types.
Amusingly, this is probably one of the more honest recruitment pitches.
"You'll lose 50 lbs. in basic, you'll get laid all the time and you get to do shit that makes Bruce Willis look like a bitch! See your recruiter today!"
Side effects may include PTSD, death, depression, and the inability to adjust to civilian life after major wars. Consult with your doctor before deciding that the military is right for you.
im not entirely sure where the outrage is from some of you.
Buying a car is a bit different from a person committing himself to the military.
im still not seeing where the outrage is coming from other than misplaced aggression towards the military in general.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
You mean those ads weren't really what happens?
I actually liked the National Guard's thing where they had some cross-promotion going with 3 Doors Down. They did a song (called Citizen Soldier I think) that had a pretty cool music video showing various parts of being a soldier - combat, rescuing comrades, awards, etc.
Don't forget slaying dragons! Most important part of being a Marine, protecting America from dragons.
I mean you get stuff like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcaM_0ztbM
And recently we had the "you're in Afganistan X situation occurs, what do you do?"
Which seems pretty cool. The Marines have the coolest dress uniforms and the best recruitment ads. Plus they kick lava monster ass. Can't say that about the Navy.
Rigorous Scholarship
True, but when I heard the US Navy's ad: "If someone wrote a book about your life, would anyone want to read it?" spoken by Captain Anderson, that was pretty sweet.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Navy does super secret ninja stuph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fetNQ6uxCx0&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pir1Hug-CEc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxvHPSXE54Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_6vK_JSSTo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4QBPlQdgY
In basic, they apparently ask: "So, which one tricked you into joining?" Jocularly, of course.
Edit: Mind you we don't get the wonderfull voice of Gary Sinese telling us the army is awesome. That is a deffinate downside. I love that mans voice
Armies in need of recruits does not excuse misleading advertising towards you signing away part of your life.
Stop assuming I don't understand. The ad does not represent any real part of army life and is being aimed at young adults, using the example of not being let into social situations. That tends to be a concern for younger adults, so they are associating military service with better social standing. Its very pointed advertising with a very clear agenda. As it is being done through MTV, it's even more obvious and has a very clear subtext.
It's an advertisment for you to sign away part of your life, its not like an ad for washing powder that will get your whites whiter. The stakes are too high for this to be acceptable.
You're giving it a pass because someone higher should catch it, even though you know that doesn't always happen in your own country.
You can't see whats wrong with it, I can't see whats NOT wrong with it. Perhaps you and I should leave it there.
Beat me on 360: Raybies666
I remember when I had time to be good at games.
Never really worked on me, but then the military isn't very big back home nor a popular choice for careers. Which isn't to say people don't respect the military, it just hasn't been a big part of national life since we pulled out of Vietnam.
I think I know a couple of people in the military well and maybe half a dozen casual acquaintances. I think I'd almost know more US military personnel (largely via my old WOW guild) and it just seems to be a much more important of national life there and indeed in the UK too, where I currently live.
For example, in the UK there is constant talk of the "Covenant" between the military and the nation (or crown?) and military matters form a regular part of daily news. This makes sense, given the wars and the fact that it is Armistice Day tomorrow here, but it is somewhat disconcerting I find, as a foreigner*. Anyone else noticed this? Also, I remember a few months back there was an Army ad here in the UK that didn't seem to have a clear purpose, it infact seemed like a general ad for the army and how cool/good/useful it was. It didn't seem right for the Army to advertise on its own merits. My German house-mate and I were both rather shocked when we saw the ad.
*Noting of course that I've plenty of family which have served in both the British and New Zealand armed forces
the onions got that covered