National Defence 2022-2023 Success Check – Awareness 2023 Recruitment Advertising Campaign

Video Advertisement Evaluation

Participants were shown a sample of an advertising campaign featuring a 30-second video and a 15-second video and asked to provide feedback on the campaign.

Overall reactions to the campaign were quite positive, with most participants having rated the campaign an 8 out of 10 (with a rating of 10 representing the most positive rating). Reactions were consistent across the groups.

The campaign was mainly praised for the following reasons:

• The visual appeal was good, with most participants enjoying the concept and special effects of the CAF uniform “growing” onto the characters. The ad was also seen as professionally done from a visual standpoint.

• Showing characters doing “regular things” such as fixing a car or playing soccer was said to be inclusive. Participants felt that they did not need to be doing extraordinary things to be able to join the CAF.

• Participants liked that the ad focused on helping others, teamwork and camaraderie.

• The voiceover, soundtrack and tagline used were compelling to participants.

• Several participants felt that the second person point of view used in the voiceover made the ad more personal and grabbed their attention.

• A few discussed the diversity shown in the ad and explained that the voiceover implied that anyone could join.

In addition to the positive feedback, some participants offered suggestions on what could be improved:

• A few felt that the campaign was a bit vague. They commented that it does not offer insights into what kinds of jobs are actually available in the CAF and thought it would have been better to show how the everyday tasks translated into working in the CAF.

• Some felt that the 15-second ad was a bit abrupt and fast-paced. It also reminded some of a commercial for jeeps. That said, participants agreed that if they often saw the 30-second version, the shorter 15-second version would make more sense.

Participants felt the main message was that anyone could fit into the CAF, and that skills used in daily life could apply to their role. Some also felt that the main message was that a life in the CAF was more than just combat and war.

Regarding the call to action, participants thought that the campaign was encouraging viewers to think about how they could fit into a career at the CAF.

Participants thought that the campaign was targeting average people, particularly people who were younger and not settled into a career yet. Elements of the videos as well as participants’ impressions of the CAF led them to believe that the ad may be geared mostly towards people who are young, active, patriotic, and have a certain level of discipline.

Across all groups, no participants considered the campaign disturbing or offensive.

Static Advertisement Concept Evaluation

Overall, the static advertisement concepts received mainly positive feedback.

Those who liked the images shared the following reasons:

• The images had very good visual appeal, with participants appreciating the blurred background and high definition of the person in the foreground.

  • Several felt that these ads would be eye-catching if they were to see them, especially in a public space such as a bus station.

• Some also explained that having the people facing away helped them to imagine themselves in their position.

  • Many however did prefer the position of the woman in the first image (representing the Air Force), as there is a bit of eye contact.

• Many appreciated that there was not too much text shown in the ads.

• Although participants were told that these static images were part of the same campaign, some felt that they were also great as stand-alone ads and incorporated the same visual concept in a different way.

Some aspects of the images received mixed feedback:

• The message “we’re hiring” was praised by many although a few were not fond of this approach.

• Similarly, the approach of mentioning specific jobs received mixed feedback, with some explaining that they would not know what these jobs were but would be very interested in looking them up online.

• Others felt that the job titles may be intimidating especially as it is unclear whether the CAF would provide training or if the applicant would be required to have specific education or experience in the field already.

  • These participants felt that “become a” followed by the job titles may be more welcoming and more clearly convey the fact that the CAF would train them.

Other suggestions included the following:

• Several felt that although they enjoyed the ad, if they saw the ad in public (rather than online) they would likely not think of it after the fact and thus would not look for more information. Some suggested including a QR code on physical versions of the ad, so that those who view the ad could scan the code and instantly get more information, or save the webpage for later.

Participants felt that the bolded text in these static ads made the call to action very clear – to encourage individuals to apply for certain positions in the CAF.

In terms of where DND should advertise, most participants agreed that social media was where they would be most likely to see this type of advertising. Additionally, some mentioned that the static images would be effective around public transportation as well as around school campuses.