-
Casinos for you
US Military Recruitment Sets Its Sights On eSports In 2020!
By Shane Addinall Jan 02, 2020 OpinionAs mainstream media fails to hold the attention of the younger demographic, and eSports gaming pre-trains the skills and mindset of the ideal military recruit the US Navy opts to go all-in on digital advertising in 2020.Author Orson Scott Card shocked the readers of his sci-fi novel Enders Game, when the story climaxes with the revelation that the military had been using video games as recruitment and training tools for children – even going so far as to have the ignorant hero running a live military campaign under the guise of a training exercise.
An idea that in 1985 was so far fetched as to be the stuff of science fiction, is becoming the stuff of reality in 2020.
Early in 2019, we saw the Danish military work with local Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) players, their reasoning being that with the advancements in technology and realism these military-themed games were breeding grounds for potential pre-trained recruits.
Major Anders Bech, head of the Danish Ministry of Defence’s Personnel Agency said:
“Gamers have certain skills in being and remaining calm under pressure, faster reactions than other young people, quick decision making, good teamwork skills, orientation and strong ability to visualise”
With the ability to work in teams, think on their feet and quickly recognise various military tools it makes sense that in every respect, other than perhaps ardent physical fitness, eSports top players exhibit skills that make them the ideal candidates for recruitment.
US Navy Goes All In On Digital
The US Navy has followed suit with the recent announcement that as of 2020 they will be allocating nearly 97% of their $35 million annual advertising budget to digital media. The remaining 3% will be split across radio and billboard campaigns, with national television advertising being removed from their plans altogether.
This comes as no surprise to any digital marketing professional as the ideal age demographics for the military is 17-28 years old, a group known to be found online (and mostly on mobile devices) not clustered around the living room television set.
2020s Hot New Recruitment Tool
A particular focus the Navy’s $33 million digital ad spend in 2020 will be investing in eSports. February 2020 will see the organisation rollout team and tournaments sponsorships as well as the creation of an official US Navy eSports team.
Another very successful recruitment tool has been 15-second ad spots on YouTube. With the proliferation of gaming content on YouTube – and the lack of advertising dollars being put towards more violent content like military shooter games - their ads will no doubt dominate the space ensuring even greater returns as they double down on the niche in 2020.
You might also like