thedrifter
09-13-06, 01:23 PM
Marines using Web to lure potential recruits
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer
Guitars, bass and drums grind away as images of attacking helicopters and tanks fill the computer screen. A young Marine's voice says, "If my buddy's next to me, I'm going to be there for him and he's going to be there for me."
It's all part of an advertising campaign started earlier this year on MySpace.com ---- the socializing Web site popular with Generation "Y " ----- when the Marine Corps set up its own profile pages.
Visitors to MySpace.com/themarinecorps can learn the basics on everything from warfare training and Marine history to job opportunities and financial assistance.
The goal is to get potential recruits to seek more information at the Marine Corps own Web site and ultimately meet face to face with recruiters, a spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command said Monday.
The campaign seems to be hitting its mark, said Staff Sgt. James Edwards, noting that since the profile was posted in April, more than 50,000 visitors to the Web site have used it to go to www.marines.com.
Edwards said it was difficult to determine how many had enlisted in the Marines as a result of the $112,000 advertising campaign that includes banner ads on MySpace.com. But one thing is for sure, he said: The Web site attracts the kind of customer the Marines are looking seeking.
"We try to go where our target audience is, the 17- to 24-year-old male," he said.
He said the Marine Corps is always looking for innovative ways to induce recruits, and with the growth in popularity of the Internet among young people, advertising there seemed a natural step.
In addition to MySpace, the Marine Corps also advertises on such sites as ESPN.com, sportsnews.com and *************.
The Internet is just one of many tools the Marine Corps uses to get out its message, said Marine Corps Recruiting Command spokesman Maj. Wes Hayes from his office in Quantico, Va., on Tuesday. But right now, the Internet is hot and the Marines will continue to invest in the medium, he said.
"There is no limit ---- we are going to do whatever we can as far as the Internet goes," Hayes said. "We try and exhaust all our resources."
Edwards said every effort is made to make the Web page as enticing as possible to young people. And the Marine Corps' advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, researches which Web features hold the most appeal for potential recruits.
"They do focus groups throughout the U.S. with target audience age groups, to find out what their interests are," he said.
That research is readily apparent in the Web site's slick graphics, rock music and action videos that are edited in the fast-paced style popular on MTV.
Choosing MySpace was not a tough decision, although the company did a careful review of what its options were before choosing the Web site, said Jay Cronin, J. Walter Thompson's managing director for the Marine Corps account.
"MySpace right now is the most popular Web site in the country behind Yahoo," he said. "Kids are not hanging out at the soda shop anymore."
-- Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer
Guitars, bass and drums grind away as images of attacking helicopters and tanks fill the computer screen. A young Marine's voice says, "If my buddy's next to me, I'm going to be there for him and he's going to be there for me."
It's all part of an advertising campaign started earlier this year on MySpace.com ---- the socializing Web site popular with Generation "Y " ----- when the Marine Corps set up its own profile pages.
Visitors to MySpace.com/themarinecorps can learn the basics on everything from warfare training and Marine history to job opportunities and financial assistance.
The goal is to get potential recruits to seek more information at the Marine Corps own Web site and ultimately meet face to face with recruiters, a spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command said Monday.
The campaign seems to be hitting its mark, said Staff Sgt. James Edwards, noting that since the profile was posted in April, more than 50,000 visitors to the Web site have used it to go to www.marines.com.
Edwards said it was difficult to determine how many had enlisted in the Marines as a result of the $112,000 advertising campaign that includes banner ads on MySpace.com. But one thing is for sure, he said: The Web site attracts the kind of customer the Marines are looking seeking.
"We try to go where our target audience is, the 17- to 24-year-old male," he said.
He said the Marine Corps is always looking for innovative ways to induce recruits, and with the growth in popularity of the Internet among young people, advertising there seemed a natural step.
In addition to MySpace, the Marine Corps also advertises on such sites as ESPN.com, sportsnews.com and *************.
The Internet is just one of many tools the Marine Corps uses to get out its message, said Marine Corps Recruiting Command spokesman Maj. Wes Hayes from his office in Quantico, Va., on Tuesday. But right now, the Internet is hot and the Marines will continue to invest in the medium, he said.
"There is no limit ---- we are going to do whatever we can as far as the Internet goes," Hayes said. "We try and exhaust all our resources."
Edwards said every effort is made to make the Web page as enticing as possible to young people. And the Marine Corps' advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, researches which Web features hold the most appeal for potential recruits.
"They do focus groups throughout the U.S. with target audience age groups, to find out what their interests are," he said.
That research is readily apparent in the Web site's slick graphics, rock music and action videos that are edited in the fast-paced style popular on MTV.
Choosing MySpace was not a tough decision, although the company did a careful review of what its options were before choosing the Web site, said Jay Cronin, J. Walter Thompson's managing director for the Marine Corps account.
"MySpace right now is the most popular Web site in the country behind Yahoo," he said. "Kids are not hanging out at the soda shop anymore."
-- Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.
Ellie