The US Army National Guard launched a viral recruiting campaign on April 5 that includes social media, online video and e-mail. The push was created in-house.
Called “Moments of Pride,” the effort features a site with an online video depicting a post-flood state of emergency. When a consumer links it to his Facebook account, the interactive ad places his name on the uniform in the ad. The spot also creates a fake newspaper story from the consumer’s hometown about how he or she heroically saved people from a flood.
The video encourages consumers to sign up for the National Guard. At its conclusion, it encourages them to share the spot with friends via e-mail or Facebook. The campaign is focused on the National Guard’s core target demographic of 18- to 32-year-olds.
In the last month, more than 19,000 people who looked at the National Guard’s Facebook page visited the organization’s Web site for more information. More than 100 of those consumers filled out a recruiter contact card, according to a statement from the National Guard.
The Army National Guard’s recruiters also have presences on MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.
A National Guard representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
