Military Service Glamourized with De-Glamourizing Ads

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“There are many thankless jobs out there. This – isn’t – one of them,” barks this new ad, “Thankless Jobs,” for the US Coast Guard.

Put together by Cossette, NY, the campaign aspires to draw recruits by forgoing stylized images in favor of reality. REALITY? That’s funny, because the PR guy brought the spot to our attention with the following introductory pitch:

“Is it a trailer for the next Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster? A breaking news report on a dramatic rescue? Close. It’s the US Coast Guard at work.”

Is he referring to the same Jerry Bruckheimer that gave us Beverly Hills Cop, Armageddon and Pirates of the Caribbean? If so, well … reality and Jerry Bruckheimer have never exactly been chummy.

And while the footage may be real enough, efforts to appeal to a would-be recruit’s sense of adventure and self-worth are the same. The spot seems glamorous as ever; just grittier than usual.

Potential recruits can check out more “real!” footage at Go Coastguard. The campaign will run across Facebook, Monster, Career Builder, Hot Jobs, HBCUConect, Hollywood.com, Friendster and FoxNews.com.

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Steve Hall

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