Defence today released a series of "podcasts"; video marketing materials which follow several young recruits on the first six weeks of their military program.
While Defence uses the term "podcasts" rather loosely (the Web-based videos are presented in a highly structured and edited format, complete with formal interviews and fast cuts) -- the online videos attempt to show potential candidates this year's recruits using weapons, in rock climbing and ropes courses, in team-building exercises and regular drills.
The ADF's online video strategy follows the launch early last week of a new ADF-hosted games Web site, offering visitors free online war simulation games.
Within its first week, the ADF registered almost 31,000 visits and acquired over 2,000 registered users. Those who sign up as registered users receive e-mail updates containing job opportunities and other marketing material from the ADF.
Defence Force Recruiting Director-General, Brigadier Simon Gould told ZDNet Australia that the ADF requires his department to generate at least 120,000 enquiries per year.
"From that we'd distil it down to around 9,000 to 10,000 enlistments," he said. The ADF has been struggling to attract and maintain recruits for several years running. After several reviews, the federal government committed AU$1 billion in December 2006 and a further AU$2.1 billion in May 2007 to the ADF's recruitment and retention program.
At present, the amount spent on online marketing initiatives represents five percent of Defence's total recruitment budget, Gould said.
"We'd like to grow the online element of our business for financial reasons because we have to drive efficiencies," he said.
Gould said the ADF will also launch a new Web site in August called "Real Sea Patrol", which will ride on awareness generated through the Nine Network TV series, Sea Patrol.
"[The site] is very interactive with lots of video and follows a real patrol boat," he said.
So far the ADF's games portal offers six single player games: Operation: Seahawk; Operation: Tiger; Supreme Air Combat; Battleships Extreme; Operation: Thunderbolt; Operation: Allied Shield. The most popular game is Operation: Thunderbolt, registering over 6,000 play counts in its first week. Multiplayer games include Supreme Air Combat and Battleships Extreme.
Gould said the ADF games portal will not be as rich in games and content as say the US Department of Defence's games recruitment site, but it will be adding another six games per year.
"We won't be going down the US path which costs many millions of dollars ... At the moment we're producing the games very cheaply. The games are almost throw-away. But if the Chief of Navy says we need to attract more submariners, we can produce a game quickly."
A major challenge for the ADF is its low conversion rate of enquiries by women. Gould said men in the 18 to 22-year-old age group are increasingly less interested in full time study or employment, while the case is opposite for women. The problem for the ADF is that only 25 percent of its enquiries come from women, and the conversion rate for women is just 13 percent.
it took two people to re-write this press release?