September 5, 2006
Army's marching orders: Grab those texting teens
The Army National Guard is taking its recruitment message to the movie-going masses. And it's hoping the teens will turn on their cell phones or whatever wireless weapon they're wielding and return the call. MSNBC reports.
"Movie audiences see a two-minute ad, receive a credit card-size handout or see a slide that encourages them to answer a multiple-choice question by sending a text message or visiting a Web site.
The questions are easy and callers get points that can be redeemed online for iTunes credits or Army apparel. Participants returning to the site or opting in for more text messages eventually are asked if a recruiter can contact them.
... With the in-theater campaign, the Army is testing the waters of mobile marketing.
"We don't necessarily think this technology is going to sell people on joining the military, but we think it will help convince people the military is hip, cool and relevant to young people," says LM&O account supervisor Andy Blenkle. "It's reaching parts of an audience you may not be reaching through your other programs."
Related:
-- Text Messaging to become recruiting tool for US army - The US army has plans to attract teenagers to enlist with video games, Web sites and helicopter simulators as well as appeals via text messaging, possibly with a new Army slogan.
-- Australia to recruit soldiers by SMS - Recruitment officers in the short-staffed Australian Defence Force (ADF) will bombard young people with mobile phone messages to try and get them to sign up.
-- Text messages from the Royal Navy - Following a recruitment research study for the the British Royal Navy, one of the findings suggests to harness mobile phone technology by texting 'cool' images of warships to teenagers' mobile phones.
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