Reaching the Masses
A while back, a ChiefMarketer.com article discussed how video games have turned out to be the U.S. Army’s best recruiting tool. According to co-authors David Verklin and Bernice Kanner, since the draft ended in 1972, “The U.S. Army has to recruit 80,000 soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire work force of BellSouth every 12 months.”
The article says that after a series of advertising campaigns ranging from macho battle cries and team-building to the individuality of an “Army of One,” potential recruits still weren’t enlisting. Then the Army went to Iraq. More Marketing 101 ad campaigns and promotions were tried, but it wasn’t until gamers could take on real military roles such as intelligence, communications and combat medicine that recruitment numbers grew.
According to Verklin and Kanner, “Few predicted that America’s Army would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.”
Released in July 2002, the game cost $7.3 million to produce — a paltry sum compared to the heightened interest in the military and its franchise products, including action figures, clothing and coffee mugs.
While fire scenario simulators have been around for some time, an increasing number of fire departments are taking the lessons learned from video games and are creating informational videos for popular Web sites like YouTube. Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Ray Orozco Jr. recently told me that the best way to reach the younger community is to be where they are, and that’s YouTube. In fact, when I went on the site, I was surprised at the number of fire- and life-safety messages.
Asst. Director of Media Affairs Eve Rodriquez explained the Chicago Fire Department’s Media Affairs and Public Education divisions worked together to write the videos and outsource the production. Currently, six CFD safety videos are posted on YouTube, and every school dormitory in the city of Chicago has the Dorm Life videos and printed materials.
Likewise, the videos on commercial and residential high-rise safety are distributed in partnership with the Building Owners and Managers Association to Chicago’s high-rise buildings.
Check out CFD’s Dorm Life Part 1:
Dorm Life Part 2 uses the acronym CALM, which stands for: Call 911 first; Alert your dorm management or other attendants; Listen for instructions from fire officials; Move to a safe area.
Other safety videos I found included one from the New York State Fire Marshal’s Office on student fire safety
and Eastern Connecticut State University’s fire safety demo.
You never know what you’ll see if you keep your eyes open.
Related Topics: Janet Wilmoth, Public Education
June 6th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Excellent stuff! This is where our public education efforts need to be headed. Not only for the fire safety message, but also the residential sprinkler message. Messages like this should be distributed to all incoming students each semester through podcasts as well.
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