Army new Ad campaign

Army social media efforts, predominantly used to inform the public on all things Army have been getting praises from countless sources, including this blog on more than one occasion.

Army is looking to leverage their social media successes into their recruiting efforts.

Army top recruiting General, Lt. Gen. Freakly comments on his desire to share more of the experiences in an online platform.

“Describing rappelling and other activities that recruits go through in boot camp, is exciting stuff. Would I love to have those young people tweeting about that.”
Why can’t they? Well, “in the first three weeks of basic training, we take away your smartphone,” General Freakley said. “You don’t even get mail from home.”

Those policies may one day be changed, he said, in that “as digital natives join us” in larger numbers, “we’ll get the balance of that right.”

Continuing to leverage existing assets such as the armystrongstories.com blog, the Army is trying to add more interaction with potential recruits and sharing of content to the way they approach recruiting.

The new social media push is a result of the new ad campaign you can view here:

Using your own people as ambassadors is not a new concept, social media just allows us to make those ambassadors readily available. Plenty of other corporations are following suit and are using alternate ways to entice potential new employees. The new question becomes, how will the Army or anyone that employs a similar strategy keep their audience engaged over an extended period of time?

To read the full New York Times article where most of the info in this post is referenced from, follow the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/business/media/25adco.html?_r=1

The issues women face as leaders continues to be a fascinating topic with dedicated research many publications emerging both in print and online.

It is no surprise that the military, an institution that prides itself in developing some of the finest leaders continues to extend opportunities to women.

A symposium dedicated to connecting women in the military will be held in San Diego this year, March 15 and 16. The theme of the Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium will be “Connect. Empower. Succeed,” Geared towards all the military branches, the women will have the opportunity to focus on their leadership development while also highlighting the achievements of women leaders on the front lines around the globe.

The opportunity for leadership development is a much coveted opportunity both men and women look for in potential employers. With women still not being equally represented in the top leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies it is an encouraging sign that the military puts emphasis on creating leadership opportunities for women as this symposium is an example of many other similar initiatives.

The chance for self improvement and life long learning are both very important and the military doesn’t fall short on either.

To learn more about the March symposium visit this Air Force story: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123242665

NFL is one entertainment entity that never falls short on supporting the troops and highlighting their accomplishments to the American public. This Super Bowl will be no different as the Air Force elite performance group, Tops in Blue will be performing during the pre-game festivities.

For one of the most important events in the country’s pop culture and sports world, it is a good thing that the military is getting representation.

For a complete list of military participating in this year’s Super Bowl take a look at this article: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123241190

The topic of ROTC being brought back to ivy league schools and other elite universities is back to being a popular topic of discussion in military news circles. For those that aren’t familiar with military issues this doesn’t seem to matter much. This topic is however very important and more so now than ever.

Defense secretary gates and Chief of the Joint Staff, Admiral Mullen warn of the dangers of an American society that is so far removed from the military community. This gap seems to get bigger over time and it especially noticeable in big cities or places that don’t have any sort of military community near. It is a scary notion to think about that 1% of Americans are fighting all our wars and for the rest of us, outside the winter holidays period we don’t put much thought about those serving. If it wasn’t for the USO and other entities vying for time on our entertainment networks during this time, most probably wouldn’t think of those serving even during the holidays. Once the month of December is over we are back to hearing about the wars or those serving but in a very removed sense as it doesn’t seem to affect our daily lives.

There are many reasons for this disconnect. Most of it stems from the lack of exposure and knowledge about those serving. One part can be attributed
to the lack of military presence at some of the most elite universities in the country. What kind of message is that sending to high caliber youth? With endless opportunities to learn and grow, these students don’t have an exposure to the military, which is not good on multiple levels.

While the military as a whole has recently enjoyed meeting and exceeding recruiting goals, the lack of military presence on ivy league campuses is much more than a recruiting issue. It is important for the military career path to be available to all that wish to go that route and the presence of military at places that typically aren’t very much connected to this community can benefit everyone involved.

Washington Post published an interesting article about ROTC recently that talks about revamping the program, making it more relevant and possibly offering some cost savings. Some of the ideas are compelling http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/27/AR2011012706168.html

Agree or disagree with the above article, one point is clear and that is that some sort of ROTC program needs to be brought back to elite universities across the country. Both Harvard and Columbia have made claims that now that DADT has been put to rest they are looking forward to welcoming the military back on their campuses. This will be an important first step in restoring a connection between the military and youth that may not be exposed to this community otherwise.

Forbes released their annual “Best Colleges” list and it is no surprise that all of the federal service academies have made the list. The United States Military Academy (West Point) ranked number 4 on the list, the U.S. Air Force Academy was ranked 11, while the U.S. Naval Academy came in at number 29, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy ranked number 105 and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy earned the number 165 ranking. While West Point was #1 last year, their slight slip to #4 is still impressive.

Receiving a stellar education (for free) while being able to serve one’s country are all factors that make these schools highly competitive and desired amongst college applicants.

The acceptance rates at the academies are low, which leave a lot of applicants that don’t secure a slot. While recruiting is exceeding its numbers it is interesting to think about what happens to all those individuals that don’t get into one of the academies? There are hundreds of ROTC and NROTC programs throughout the country that could be the perfect fit for those that have not obtained their dream slot. Does the military have an active program that focuses on those high level recruits that keeps their interest in the military going? Those that don’t make it into the federal academies between 80%- 90% of those that apply, are an attractive segment that shouldn’t be left out.

Most of the academies have social media outlets and are utilizing the tool to continue garnering interest and communicating with the public that finds itself spending quite a bit of time on social networks. While there is no worry that interest in the academies will ever weaken, it is important to preserve the tradition they stand for and educate those that may not have the background on what it means to attend one of them.

The concept of “personal branding” has gained a lot of popularity and individuals are taking the time to align their social networks to tell their story and put them in the best possible light. The question becomes, how much information should truly be personal vs. professional? Do personal anecdotes and interests outside the professional realm add value or hinder one’s credibility?

On the other hand, what if an individual wants to purely use social media for personal purposes. Is that even possible? The saying that one’s occupation indentifies them and makes them who they are can make social networking difficult if that job is not to be discussed. This is a question that can especially be of interest and of value to individuals in the military. The National Guard recently released their social media policy, which at first glance makes it very difficult to even be on a social network as a member of the Guard due to all the stipulations of can and can’t be posted. Or, is it simply common sense and what one wouldn’t say or discuss in public applies to social media and these guidelines are just simple reminders?

We hear stories of individuals losing jobs over social media posts or never even being hired to begin with. While this has become a reality, it hasn’t stopped individuals from making the same mistakes over and over. The members of the military, however, can’t afford to make too many social media mistakes as they can cause more severe problems than lost jobs, it can cost lost lives if the wrong information gets out.

The new environment we are operating in has social networks embedded in our daily operations and almost ingrained in our DNA. Since this medium doesn’t seem to be going away, it raises the real question–should these guidelines look more like training manuals rather than what can be perceived as confusing rules and regulations?

To take a look at the National Guard policy, go to this article:

http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/08/16/43818-guard-bureau-offers-social-media-guidelines-for-guardsmen/index.html?ref=home-headline-title7

Marriage to service members presents unique obstacles; military-to-military marriages can pose even more challenges, but service members find the upsides.

The Air Force recently released a story about a marriage that took place while both service members were deployed. Very interesting story you can find here: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123216930

While most of us don’t have a reason to think about the types of sacrifices service members make, it is humbling to think about having to even compromise on one of the biggest days, such as the wedding day. Missed holidays, birthdays and anniversaries are common in the military community and while we may never be able to understand the sacrifices we can appreciate all that service members do.

There are not too many jobs out there where those that work in them beam with bride each day and have amazing and interesting stories that seem to be never ending. Where there is no such thing as a typical or average day and could include anything from flying a jet, a bomber, packing parachutes, providing life support, or being responsible for every intricate part great air craft may need in order to perform their missions.

I had the honor of spending part of my day with various folks from the 917th Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command and got to learn about their remarkable mission and the part they take in national security. The 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, is home to both A-10 and B-52 aircraft. The A-10 schoolhouse mission is to train A/O A-10 pilots in initial qualification, forward air control and night vision goggles. The B-52 combat mission is to employ the bomber in support of Air Force worldwide conventional commitments.

The pictures below document some of the amazing things I got to learn about.

B-52, The workhorse of the Air Force. This aircraft has been around since even before the Cold War and it is still performing today. It had to adapt and ready to respond to short notice taskings and has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

B-52's- Longest missions 36 hours, typical mission 10-12 hours.
Logistically tough to operate due to size, limited amount of runways. Can get 40 below zero when operating.

Inside a B-52 Cockpit

B-52

A-10-
Eyes from the Sky: Troops on the ground request it, because they can hear it and see it. Those flying this aircraft recognize the importance of this responsibility and take the task of employing weapons very seriously.

Jet Engine Shop-the unsung heroes on the flight line. The camaraderie between pilots and the mechanics is unbelievable

Aircrew Flight Equipment-think football players have it good? Think again. Air Force pilots have an all-star team that is there for them prior to every mission. Each pilot has his or her own locker.

G-Suit, worn when the flier is pulling high g's, it self inflates at that time

GPS for aircraft

A-10 Ejection Simulator

A-10 Simulator

A-10 Simulator, glad this one didn't eject. I got a perfect idea from the visual, didn't need to actually experience it!

Survival Equipment, in case of a crash pilots rely on this type of equipment. They have also attended combat and water survival school. Their equipment mangers have also attended parts of survival school to familiarize themselves with what a pilot would be going through

It was truly inspirational to hear the amount of pride each and every person I spoke to have in his or her work and that service to country and teamwork are the driving factors to success.

Aside from all the work they do inside the base, the difference they make in the community, and especially for school aged children can’t be left out. The 917th Wing happens to be a sponsor for the STARBASE program, one of 60 national sites that offer a very important curriculum. The STARBASE program presents a 25-hour hands on/minds on aviation and aerospace curriculum to area 5th grade students and their teachers. Committed to addressing the critical needs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, STARBASE introduces its students to these education subjects, inspiring youth to further explore these topics in future course work. The STARBASE program enables the base to truly make a difference in the local Louisiana educational arena.

My day ended with getting a chance to ask one very important question to the ten people I had a chance to meet with….Why the Air Force? With the amount of team work happening it shouldn’t have been surprising to me that everyone’s answers had to deal with doing something extraordinary and bigger than themselves. Colonel John Mooney the 917th Wing Commander shared a story with me that really stuck out. Prior to joining the Air Force, he’s worked at a number of other jobs and the Air Force is the only place that has allowed him to serve his country while feeling like he’s made a difference at the end of each and every day. It is a true inspiration knowing that those that enter into service careers do so bearing great responsibility while not wanting to trade it for anything else in the world.

The Army Experience Center located at the Franklin Mills shopping mall in Philadelphia will be closing down. With no shortage of military video games, Black Hawk and Humvee simulators and consoles, it was a place that marked the Army look very cool and relevant in the eyes of the 17-24 demographic.

The goal was to explain how the modern Army operates and becoming a hub for community outreach programs. While the Army says the experiment was a successful one, after a two-year stint the doors will be closing.

Army Experience Center was seen as a marketing technology lab.

An Army spokesperson says the Army Experience Center was not a traditional recruiting station. Instead, it was a place for the Army to test out high-tech gadgets, including simulators designed to reproduce combat missions in helicopters and Humvees.
Over 40,000 people came in and out of the Army Experience Center who got to experience the simulators, the video games and the technology.

Since the Army has exceeded its recruiting goals and budgets are being cut, it makes sense that this center is closing down. While recruiters are enjoying a prosperous period largely due to a sagging economy, it is important not to stop innovating. Experiential marketing could be a very effective medium for the future of recruiting as traditional advertising takes a bigger toll. It will be interesting to see what type of approach to experiential marketing the military will take in the future.

Army Wives is continuing to be successful in exposing the general public to issues military families are facing. While some individuals don’t believe particular hardships the families face are portrayed
in a realistic way, the Army has truly embraced the show. A special screening of an Army Wives episode that included a cameo by Mrs. Biden was held last week at Fort Belvoir and included members of the Army leadership that voiced their appreciation for what the show is doing.
“I was very impressed with the commitment of the production crew and the cast to accurately replicate the challenges of Army families,” said General Casey, Army Chief of Staff.

Having Mrs. Biden make an appearance adds to the credibility factor that the show is embraced by military and administration leadership. Mrs. Bidden agreed to go on the show because she wants to do all she can to keep America thinking about those in the military. To that end she has started a national challenge with Mrs. Michelle Obama to do small acts of kindness for military Families.

“I wish they [the American people] could see what Jill and I see as we go into Army hospitals or Thanksgiving dinners with Soldiers,” explained Vice President Joseph Biden. “What absolutely blows me away is the continued sense of patriotism and the desire to serve, even with those who are mortally wounded.”

The American public consumes a great deal of media; when media outlets are telling the story about those serving, chances are the people will take a look and most likely learn something about service members they did not know before. For those individuals not living in military communities, forms media and entertainment tend to be the biggest educators and informers on those serving. Shows like Army Wives do a great job of showcasing the challenges the home front faces and shedding light on military families and the sacrifices they make.