Condom

Background

Tullo Marshall Warren were tasked with creating a recruitment mailing for the RAF to be sent to young men aged 18 to 24, inviting them to an event day in Manchester to find out more about the Regiment, the RAF’s all male infantry unit. The overall objective of the campaign was to drive footfall to an RAF Regiment event day. The RAF were looking for young men who weren’t necessarily endowed with academic qualifications, but nonetheless were ‘street smart’. The campaign also had to get across the information that, although it is an exciting life in the force, it is also a dangerous one.

Idea

TMW's idea was to send young men a condom. The outer carried the headline, ‘Individual protection equipment or emergency water carrier’. Inside was a leaflet with the condom attached and a headline above that read, ‘Apply to weapon when on manoeuvres’, with a second below that said, ‘Place in sock and fill with water to create emergency carrier’. On the reverse was a testimonial from an RAF soldier about how a condom could be used as a covering for a wound dressing and a list of other military uses for condoms.

The pack also contained a letter explaining that the RAF were looking for people who could see more than one answer to a problem. It then went on to invite the reader to the event day to learn more about careers in the Regiment, have a go in the close combat training trailer firing guns and try wall climbing. There was also an incentive of a prize draw to win a day paintballing with four friends.

Results

At the event, 102 interest forms were filled out by the Regiment for people who had attended and were interested in hearing more. This is more forms than the Regiment usually get in a whole summer’s worth of touring events and air shows. Of these, 12 have gone on for an interview at the Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO). The pack was also picked up by the UK national tabloid newspaper, The Sun, under the headline 'Roger and In' - providing free additional PR for the RAF.

Target audience

Young men aged 18 to 24, not academically highly qualified.

Volume/size of campaign

20,000

Our Thoughts

Seventy years ago, John Caples wrote that two of the most powerful ways of getting a reader interested in what you have to say is by appealing to his self-interest or by arousing curiosity. This does both. I can understand why a squaddie might want to have a condom in his backpack, in case he gets lucky but the reasons why he is required to carry one are interesting and one-day I may even be glad I now know a condom is a water bottle, a dressing for a wound etc.