MilitaryForums.co.uk

Apparently the advertisments for the Corp in Magazines, TV and Cinema across the UK are paying off

"COI Communications have worked with the Royal Navy to produce an advertising campaign to attract the 'right' recruits to apply to become Royal Marine Commandos.

The Royal Marines need to maintain 5,000-plus responses per year in order to take on 1,180 new recruits with the strength of mind needed to become a Royal Marine.

The target audience was 16 - 24 year-olds and the campaign sought to attract quality response. It was designed to appeal to those with the fitness, commitment, discipline and self-confidence needed to complete the 30-week basic training course and physically demanding endurance tests.

Ideas: Cinema, magazine and radio ads; postcard activity; online advertising. By asserting '99.99% need not apply', the campaign asks the tough question do you have the strength of mind needed to get over your wall, complete basic training and become a Marine?.



Results: The campaign was launched in January and the overall number of applications has doubled from that received last year with 42% of this year's response coming in between January and March.



Not bad eh ?

The adverts send out just the right message, which is why I assume they have been so successful.

They are certainly much better than the ones for other forces, which generally make the military out to be some sort of boy-scouts outing.

Has anyone heard the radio adverts for the RAF - what a joke.

That scene where the guy's rifle gets snagged while he's in the underwater tunnel was brilliant. That's probably the first forces ad I've ever seen that accuratley portrays how truly knackered you can be in training.

Same cinematography techniques we all saw in the beach scenes in Saving Ryan's Privates.

The Army's in a tight spot. The ads target everyone from doctors and vicars to paratroopers and can look a bit silly.

If there's only 8,000 Marines, why can't the large Corps have their own advertising budget? There's 25,000 men in the infantry, 9,000 in the Signals, 16,000 in the RLC etc....

I can just picture the camera strapped to the ceiling of a C-130 in pitch darkness or being fixed above the parallel bars on the trainasium.

yeah ive seen the cinema advert where the persons pants (not rifle ) gets stuck on the piece of metal inside the water tunnel, its pretty well done i think, its the best forces ad ive seen to date...and thats saying something 0X

synrg,

Thanks for not being pedantic . Funny how your memory of an event or movie is influenced by your own experiences. My rifle would get snagged in FIBUA or on assault courses-hours of fun!

Isn't it generally the case that applications for the forces increase after a conflict. Especially a Media frenzied one like IRAQ.

The adverts are good and potray a challenge to a would be applicant, but i do think the Iraq war will have drastically helped raise the forces profile.

8000 Marines?? I'm sure I read that there are just under 5000, plus around 1500 attached personnel??

And nearly 50% more applications makes it 50% harder to get in...good or bad, depends how you look at it. Didn't realise they took over 1000 in every year though, is the Corps growing, or are that 20% of troops retiring/quitting every year??

dannyd wrote:They are certainly much better than the ones for other forces, which generally make the military out to be some sort of boy-scouts outing.

Has anyone heard the radio adverts for the RAF - what a joke.

Spot on Danny

Haven't heard the radio one. But there's one on TV where a guy cuts his finger and every man and his dog is running round 'looking after' him. Punch line, I think, was: 'Would you like to be treated this well'

8000 Marines?? I'm sure I read that there are just under 5000, plus around 1500 attached personnel??

I was wrong, that's exactly what I was thinking of when I came up with the number.

anyone know where i can get a copy of the videos to download....as the marines/navy site doesnt seem to work.....useless

cheers, davo

I'd love to know where that tunnel is!!
At one point he's doing bloody backstroke im sure, must be one of the luxury ones.
Smartie anyone?

That advert where he gets caught under water. Obviously this must be some sort of wind up, because when I did that bloody tunnel it certainly was not that clear, must be something to do with it being called the "sheep dip". Top Tip: When being pushed through do not do what that lad did in the video did, don't kick your feet, it hurts the lad behind you shoving you through. It wasn't that tunnel they should put on the ad, it should be the smartie tubes, much harder, must remember elbow/knee pads next time.

if you wore knee and elbow pads wouldnt that effect your running..

rambo

It's a rabby joke! The tubes have bricks [or some other sharp debris] in the bottom and tend to wreak havoc with sharp pointy bony bits, like knees and elbows.

Sisyphus wrote:The tubes have bricks [or some other sharp debris] in the bottom and tend to wreak havoc with sharp pointy bony bits, like knees and elbows.

Bloody horrible they are!

When I did the Commando Challenge I ripped by knees & elbows to shreds & that was only running it once.

The worst tunnels are the ones that are half full with water. The water sloshes around as you go through and makes it near impossible to breathe. How you get through them with fighting order & rifle I don't know (though will find out in a few years ).

I'd love to know where that tunnel is!!

As would I. Don't remember it being part of endurance....