This week has been Armed Forces week. A week dedicated to showing our support for the men, women and even animals who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.
Showing support can be carried out in a number of ways and at Blue Moon we’re proud to say that we have committed to making a pledge to local charity ‘Veterans Launchpad’. Veterans Launchpad is a charity that works with military veterans to enable a smooth transition into civilian life following their unique experiences and careers.
We’re extremely passionate about supporting our Armed Forces in any way we can to thank them for their service, so it’s an honour to be able to have the opportunity to work with Launchpad. As part of our commitment and pledge we will be visiting Avondale House in Byker in the coming weeks to speak with some of the residents about Marketing.
We’re big believers that through service leader’s unique experiences, they have some incredibly useful and transferable skills that they can apply to most industries, making them extremely valuable to employers and society alike.
We want to shine a light on the differing and incredibly varied roles within Marketing, be it Client Services, Creative, Digital or Print and we’ll explore how potential career paths could look for each. What’s more, we’ll cover the benefits of working in a high tempo agency and how this compares and contrasts with working in-house or ‘client side’. We have pledged to provide key employability tips and advice on how best to embark on a career in Marketing. From CV writing, CV design, interview prep and more, we want to share our greatest learnings and insights about why Marketing is a crazy yet fantastically fulfilling industry to be a part of, with the hope that it inspires the residents to consider a new career in this area.
Now you may be wondering how the worlds of the military and marketing converge? And it may surprise you to know that they are more similar than you might think! Particularly when it comes to ‘Branding’.
The military (Army, Navy and RAF) are all brands in their own right, and militaries around the world have run some of the most talked about campaigns the industry have ever seen. Some for the right reasons, and some not so much…
When taking an even closer look there’s lots that the world of marketing, and many businesses (no matter the sector) can learn from military identity and branding. As arguably they do it to a ‘T’. Within the Army you have various different regiments, they have their own identity and are themselves brands, or even sub brands. For example, each regiment has a ‘cap badge’ which acts as their logo, and visual identity in which they can be easily recognised and identified. Soldiers within that regiment wear a coloured beret and stable belt with associated collateral and a ‘suite of assets’ complying with their brand guidelines and overall visual styling.
When going through British Army training and throughout the entirety of their careers, recruits are met with a set of cultural values, used to underpin the desired behaviours associated with the brand they so proudly represent. These include: Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty & Selfless Commitment. To take it up a gear, soldiers are encouraged to use phrases and words that act as their own ‘brand language’. Take “Honking”, “Gleaming”, “Ally” and “Threaders” for example…. (we’ll let you have a guess at what they might mean). This use of language aids to the creation of ‘how their brand does things’, giving a clear guide on how content should be created, establishing an ownable tone of voice and forms as part of a wider communication strategy. In turn, this builds credibility among peers and superiors alike, as well as the wider world who can recognise the military brands they see as something truly unique and a brand to be admired. With its constant touch points and reinforcement, the consistent use of branding is something all service personnel will have been exposed to within their military careers, so transferring their skills to marketing isn’t quite as left field as first thought.
This is only a flavour of the interesting crossover between the worlds of military and marketing. We look forward to exploring how a military background could lead to a fruitful future in the creative world as we progress our work with Launchpad and their residents. We’ll be updating our Content Hub regularly with what we learn about these inspirational service leavers because their wealth of experiences and knowledge is sure to enrich many of our journeys too!
