The Brief

Australian Defence Recruitment approached us with a unique challenge: to find and recruit an elite jet fighter pilot. The normal cost-per-enlisted-recruit for the elite Air Force exceeds $1,000,000. We had $200,000. We needed a creative solution that would find, test and engage the pilots of the future. As well as academic qualifications, they needed hand-eye coordination and reaction skills that differentiate the small percentage of ‘fast jet’ pilots from the rest – and to be determined, with a competitive edge.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The primary target was 16-24 year old males, a difficult group given their short attention spans, fragmented media behaviours and hectic lifestyles. The insight: Young men need to experience the thrill and intensity of jetfighter training for them to believe that the dream of becoming an elite pilot can become a reality. Fusing our insight with a classic 80’s movie we had our idea: The Search for Australia’s Next Top Gun It had three stages: 1. Tested their flight skills 2. Gave them a taste of what life is like as a fighter jet pilot 3. Rewarded them with an exclusive movie screening

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

We ran 70 flight simulations per day across 6 university campuses and held the Top Gun event during which: • Over 3,000 people requested a flight. • 600 people tested their skills. • 150 people attended the event. • 39 people enquired about the job. • 5 were identified as qualified leads. And most importantly, we were able to recruit one ‘top gun’ formally enrolled in the elite Australian jet fighter training programme, reducing our cost-per-qualified pilot by a staggering 80% (vs. previous campaigns). Across social media the results included: • 1,264,360 impressions with 3,024 clicks through to site. • 85,740 AU views on YouTube within Australia.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

1. Using impactful university media placements we encouraged them to have their skills judged by a former RAAF pilot in a jet flight simulator. 2. The top 75 recruits got to experience the daily thrill of being a fighter jet pilot at our event space. Themed as an aircraft hanger, Special Ops and RAAF personnel were on hand to manage the guests and tell their stories. 3. They then enjoyed a private screening of Top Gun, receiving a Top Gun show bag and the classic shearling jacket. The event was amplified through content seeded via pre-rolls, Facebook video and YouTube.