Details

Abstract / Summary

This case is about the employer branding initiatives adopted by the US Army. Since the early 1970s, the US Army had been known for its recruitment efforts that aimed to encourage people to take up a career with it. Experts felt that it was one of the first organizations to practice employer branding more than a decade before the term 'employer brand' was coined. However, recruiting for the US Army became a challenge with the country engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, the recruiters also had to overcome certain misconceptions held by young Americans about considering a career in the US Army. This the US Army did by taking various initiatives that included recruitment advertising campaigns such as the 'Army Strong' campaign and the 'Officership' campaign that strove to showcase the benefits of a career with the Army. These noteworthy campaigns were supported by innovative recruitment tools such as the 'America's Army' game, Virtual Army Experience, and the Army Experience Center that aimed to bridge the divide between people's perceptions of the Army and the real experience of people actually working for the US Army. Experts felt that these campaigns and experiential marketing initiatives had led to an increase in recruitment numbers in the US Army and had also enhanced its employer brand. While some experts appreciated the US Army's recruitment advertising campaigns and its use of experiential marketing as a promotion tool, these initiatives also attracted criticism from certain quarters. Critics contended that the US Army was duping young Americans with their advertising and recruitment tools by projecting the career in the Army as a fun-filled and thrilling experience - something that was far removed from reality.

Field of Interest

Business & Economics

Author

Hadiya Faheem, fl. 2011

Copyright Message

Copyright © 2010 by IBS Center for Management Research

Content Type

Case study

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Original Publication Date

2010

Page Count

29

Publication Year

2010

Publisher

IBS Center for Management Research

Place Published / Released

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Subject

Business & Economics, Social Sciences, Marketing Strategy, Branding (Marketing), Military careers, Military life, Management of Companies and Enterprises, Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services, Estrategia de Promoción, Estratégia de Marketing, United States of America, USA, US of A, America, Estados Unidos, United States. Army, United States, Strategy, Americans

Keywords and Translated Subjects

Estrategia de Promoción, Estratégia de Marketing, United States of America, USA, US of A, America, Estados Unidos