A United States Army recruiter commissioned the Island Boys to help draw in recruits. It didn't work. Screenshot from TikTok.
Over the years, the United States Army Recruiting Command has had to adapt its messaging as well as its approach to reaching potential new recruits. Back in the day, it was perfectly normal to see “Be All You Can Be” or “Army of One” commercials on every television channel and an Army recruiter skulking around every high school in the country searching for the most physically fit C-plus or C-minus students.
Fast-forward to the modern day, and the Army has had to change up its tactics a bit. For starters, no one watches cable TV anymore. Instead, they watch videos on social media, YouTube, and various paid streaming services, all of which now feature ads for the US Army from time to time. Today’s recruiters are continuously searching for modern and innovative ways to find potential recruits in the digital space and inform them of all the great benefits that await them in the United States Army.
Enter the Island Boys.
Earlier this year, Texas-based United States Army recruiter Staff Sgt. Orlando Tamez made the bold yet questionable decision to pay the Island Boys — a pair of social-media influencers who look like what would happen if Sideshow Bob dropped acid and fought a coloring book — to create and star in a video talking about the benefits of joining the Army. The video quickly went viral.
It’s been several months since then, and we are absolutely shocked to report that this plan did not work and the United States Army is still struggling to recruit young Americans. Shocking, we know. So what went wrong? Why weren’t recruiting offices across the country flooded with Island Boy fans ready to shave off whatever sea urchins they had growing on their heads at the time and fight for their country? Well, we’ve got some ideas.
Here are eight reasons that the Island Boys recruiting ad failed miserably.
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Eric Miller is a former Army Combat Medic from Parkersburg, West Virginia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and has worked with homeless populations and veteran services throughout the state. He is an avid outdoorsman and has recently become interested in woodworking.
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