VMLY&R

Client: Defence Force Recruitment
Product: Royal Australian Navy recruitment
Title: Lost In Translation
Media: Spotify and Soundcloud, Posters, Online Social Videos, Defence Force Recruitment Centres
Country: Australia
Date Of Campaign: 26 October 2020

Background: The Australian Defence Force is one of the largest recruiters in Australia. But some roles are harder to fill than others, such as Cryptologic Linguists in the Navy whose primary role is intercept and analyse foreign languages. We needed to recruit the best talent to join the Navy and apply for this role, but at the same time tell people what the role entails in an engaging and relevant way.

Idea: We enlisted A.I. to help us recruit humans as Cryptologic Linguists. While A.I. can play a big role in the modern workforce, surprisingly it doesn’t always get it right when it comes to analysing and translating from one language to another. This campaign takes those mistakes and highlights them. Using one of the world’s most popular A.I. the idea takes real, mistranslated phrases, movie quotes and song lyrics and turns them into advertising.

Results: The campaign was originally intended to run in two bursts, but after just one the Navy achieved their role quota. • 472% increase in online users to dedicated job page • Applications up 1140% year on year Importantly for the Navy, this campaign created a stronger connection to a younger audience, introducing cleverness of language that will resonate for years to come. And for Australia, these new applicants will ensure a vital part of our Defence Force stays functioning at its peak.