NEW YORK: The US Marine Corps has launched an aggressive outreach effort to increase diversity in its ranks.
The campaign, called “Fighting with Purpose,” is an offshoot of the “Toward the Sounds of Chaos” recruitment initiative launched in March. It debuted last Tuesday.
The newer push is targeting Millennials of various ethnic backgrounds. Most of the messaging is focused on Capt. Monica Meese, who is based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as a pilot, and First Lt. Drexel Rashawn King, who is based at Camp Pendleton in California as an infantry officer. The campaign will show off the service they have provided to their communities.
Research has shown that Millennials respond strongly to messages of service to others, said Maj. John Caldwell, director of public affairs for the Marine Corps recruiting command.
“[The campaign] represents an expansion in investment to support recruiting officers with diverse backgrounds,” he said.
In addition to significant paid media components, the effort also has social and traditional media outreach, as well as events. Caldwell has secured coverage in The New York Times and The Huffington Post about the campaign. New York based multicultural marketing firm UniWorld Group is assisting the Marine Corps with earned media components.
The production cost for TV, web, print, digital, and mobile elements is estimated at just more than $1.1 million.
The Armed Services branch will also post a video of King to the Marine Corps YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
A campaign microsite will feature extended Fighting with Purpose storytelling content. It will have a scrollable panorama, eight videos, and additional stories about community impact, examples of quality citizenship, and contextual links to related Marine Corps content.
“When you're sitting around a table talking about a wicked problem, having officers representative of different ethnicities, gender, and geographic backgrounds looking at it in different ways, you're going to get a more comprehensive and quality solution,” Caldwell said.
Last month, The US Naval Special Warfare Command hired iHigh Marketing to increase ethnic diversity among the Navy SEALs.
