Silent Drill Team being filmed near Golden Gate Bridge
Together with books and motion pictures, the "Mythology" of the U.S. Marine Corps is communicated to the general public largely through our very memorable recruitment advertising.
For the past 60 years, the advertising agency of record for the U.S. Marine Corps has been one of the largest and oldest advertising agencies in the world: the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT). The relationship between these two legendary institutions was first forged following World War II in 1948 with public service advertising. Eventually, these public services ads evolved into effective, memorable recruitment advertising with the advent of the all-volunteer armed forces at the end of Viet Nam war in the early 1970s.
A portrait of J. Walter Thompson, also known as "The Commodore"
Ironically, the JWT advertising agency is named after it's founder, James Walter Thompson, who served as a U.S. Marine during the Civil War. For many years, this famous portrait of J. Walter Thompson was prominently displayed in the main reception lobby of every JWT office around the globe. He is wearing the uniform of the "Commodore" of the New York Yacht Club in this portrait.
The recruiting advertising campaigns created by the J. Walter Thompson Company have registered among the tops in recall scores compared with advertising for other branches of the armed forces while the budget remains among the lowest. Such memorable campaigns as "The Marines Are Looking for a Few Good Men," "Quality Not Quantity" and "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" have successfully delivered the Marine message and have helped the Corps continue to meet its recruitment goals in both numbers and quality.
While the recruitment advertising for the Marine Corps changes only slightly from year to year, the central message has remained constant - "Maybe you can be one of us...The Few, The Proud, The Marines."
Television commercials usually survive no more than a few months of air time, and seldom do they run beyond a year. Consumers grow weary of the same joke, the same actor and even the advertised product. But Marine Corps commercials seem to have a life of their own.
For example, in 2002, the J. Walter Thomspon Company released the highly acclaimed "The Climb," a 60-second commercial that continued to run through 2007. Set in Monument Valley, Utah, the spot featured a lone, active-duty Marine ascending the 600-foot rock face of a towering mesa and ends with the tag line" The Few, the Proud, the Marines." To date, it is the longest-running U.S. Marine Corps commercial.
One of the most recent recruitment TV commercials developed by the J. Walter Thompson Company for the U.S. Marine Corps can be viewed below. Arguably, it is one of the most emotional commercials in the history of recruitment advertising. San Francisco was first in an eight-city tour in the making of this television commercial titled "Americas Marines." Other film locations included the Grand Canyon, Arizona; Denver; Nashville, Tennessee; Scottsburg, Indiana; Philadelphia; New York; and Providence, Rhode Island. The commercial made its debut in 2008.
Below, you can view the extended version of the new "Americas Marines" television commercial by clicking the button (on the left side) to start the commercial. Before viewing, you may want to turn up the sound volume control (located on the right side).
A LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The advertisement below, which appeared in the March 20, 1779 edition of The Providence (Rhode Island) Gazette; and Country Journal, illustrates that recruitment advertising has been a part of the Marine Corps for as long as the United States has had Marines. It is the very first known Marine recruitment ad, which uses the words “A Few Good Men.”
1779 Marine Corps Recruiting Ad (Click to Enlarge Image)
"DRUMMING UP" MARINE RECRUITS
During the Revolutionary War, Marine Corps recruit advertising was referred to as “drumming up” It was characterized by Marine officers marching through town, accompanied by a drummer and a fifer playing patriotic music. When a crowd gathered, the recruiting party would lead the parade to a rendezvous point (our first recruiting stations) where the Marine officer-in-charge would deliver a passionate, exhilarating account of Marine life. As a further enlistment incentive, an ample supple of grog and rations, prize money from captured vessels and a pension were offered. This concept of “drumming up” is still very much alive today. We just go about it in a more sophisticated manner.
The role of recruitment advertising hasn’t changed much either: to influence, persuade and “sell” a consumer. Another advertising constant has been our theme. From Captain Jones in 1779 to the present, we have simply been telling it as it is:
THE MARINES ARE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY. THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE MARINES.
Marine Corps recruit advertising has never resorted to puffery. Hyperbole has not been part of its inventory. Rather, it has been candid. Its creative thrust has been that military service, if dealt with honestly, is not taboo. In other words, our country needs armed forces comprised of good men, who are willing to serve and keep the peace. Add the elements of selectivity and toughness to this basic appeal, and you have the “Few Good Men” theme. In essence, the overall recruitment advertising strategy comes down to this simple premise: “If you’re thinking about the military, you’ve got several choices or one challenge." The Marines do not promise you a rose garden.
A recent print ad created for the U.S. Marine Corps by the J. Walter Thompson Company appears below. Click on ad to enlarge the image.
