War sucks. War sucks in ways I can’t fully imagine.

Let’s be honest, most of what I base my image of war on comes from a few select people.

Good ‘ol Kilgore

Hanks

DiCaprio

To name a few.

These might be bad examples, but in a lot of films, war is glorified. I find this to be true in most documentaries as well.

In the past there was “the draft”. Time’s have changed. In the western world at least, we no longer force our citizens into military service. Then again, there hasn’t been a need like in the past…though that’s a different debate.

Here in Canada, soldier is just another occupation. You apply, get trained, rise ranks. I mean no disrespect when I compare it to getting a job at McDonalds.

With that said, the canadian forces is competing for the attention of the canadian workforce; competing to sell you their product: a career, an experience. They have a brand, a target market, a recruiting (marketing) campaign, not un-similar to Crest toothpaste.

I’ve seen their adds on TV, and they’re definitely inspiring from my perspective. They focus on developing virtues of discipline, duty, strength, and providing opportunity. They mention how the skills are universally applicable. Joining doesn’t have to be a life decision, it can act a stepping stone to your other career goals.

The nature of the product definitely has the largest impact of the marketing mix; so much so that the promotion, price (in this case wage) and place, have comparably small impact on a person’s decision to sign up. This works both for and against recruitment.

Whether your for or against guns, it’s hard to deny that making holes in things and blowing stuff up from far away tops the “best pastimes” list.

The logical progression goes Nerf Gun->Super Soaker->Laser Tag->RPG

At the same time, and on a more serious note, it takes a certain kind of person to be comfortably with the possibility you may have to kill another human being, regardless of the scenario. This and the risk of personal death and injury is one of the biggest discouragements consideration for the majority of people.