Rothco Uses Gaming as Stunt to Recruit for The Irish Defence Forces

The Irish Defence Forces have become the first military in the world to create a first-person interactive video as part of a recruitment campaign, with the help of the Irish-based independent agency, Rothco.

“A New Dawn,” a tease for the mystery First Person Shooter video game was released to grab the attention of video game lovers.
The interactive video uses a real soldier avatar to fully immerse game players in the reality of becoming a soldier in a platoon, which is conducting a joint land, sea and air assault.

But the real part of the campaign was put into action at the game’s launch. Visitors to the custom-built site who are expecting to find a game will instead find out they can play for real. A first-person interactive video will put skill, determination and courage to the test, ultimately determining if gamers have the right stuff to apply for the Defence Forces.

The scenario in the game demonstrates every decision has a consequence, offers an unprecedented opportunity for players to appreciate the skill, determination and courage required of Defence Forces personnel as they conduct their basic training.

“How we are reaching out to potential recruits is different this year, but what we offer them remains the same,” Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Vice Admiral Mark Mellett said, in a statement. “A career in the Defence Forces is an opportunity to serve your country and to make an impact in some of the world’s most troubled regions while also receiving first class training and education along the way.”

DIVERGE talked to Account Director, Katie Oslizlock to find out more.

Where did the idea for the campaign come from. Why did you use a video game and how is that significant?

The insight behind the campaign was that this target audience (18-24) wants to make a real difference in the world but is at a loss of how to actually do that. They have a comfort zone where their confidence and imagination is infallible – where they rise up to challenges that are seemingly beyond them in the real world… calling the shots, making strategic choices and tactical moves, and reaping the reward. That comfort zone is gaming.

Our creative idea was to let this audience know that they could ‘Play the game or play for real’. That is, they could continue gaming with no effect on the real world or they could sign up the Defence Forces and do work that actually matters. We wanted to tap into the gamer audience insight by firstly teasing that we were releasing a video game to grab people’s interest. This teaser element was of utmost importance to the campaign. We advertised the game “A New Dawn” through a teaser trailer via dark posts on social, on outdoor digital screens all over Dublin city and teaser installations in gaming stores. The trailer was viewed 49,000 in its first five days and was picked up on national radio stations with everyone thinking a new Irish-produced video game was on the horizon. People were directed to a site www.anewdawn.iewhere they found a countdown clock, counting down in real time to the launch of the ‘game’.

However, the reveal was that this is not a game, this is a high-octane interactive video of a real training mission. Visitors came to the site expecting to play a game but instead found that they could interact with a real life mission, and then do it for real by signing up to the Defence Forces.

The initial results have been outstanding, with 958 clicking ‘Join Now’ in the first 8 hours.

What kind of response have you seen? How was it when you revealed the actual campaign as a recruitment one?

The reveal happened on Friday and as of now, it has already been given its own segment on the national broadcast news RTE1. It has also appeared in articles in Irish mainstream and industry press. The interactive video has been 4,500 unique hits to date.

Why do you think creative ways like this are needed to grab the attention of others?

Rothco’s manifesto is to create ‘Work The World Notices’ and we approach every brief from this angle. The initial request was for an online video and social, however we knew we needed to do more for a demographic that is inundated with social content and also, in a neutral country that doesn’t fully understand the need for a Defence Forces.

Jonathon Cullen, Creative Director and Art Director on the project, says “The Irish Defence Forces client are some of the bravest people we’ve had the privilege to collaborate with. The standards they strive for don’t come any higher. This is a brilliant place to start when setting out to create a big idea. We knew we had to be equally as brave and not settle for something safe that would just deliver the KPI’s. The clients passion for what they do was immediate and in turn so was ours. Once we knew we had their full support we gave it everything. They needed something bold and we were more than happy to oblige.”