Army Nat. Guard Recruiting coming to a Pizza Box near you

[LynneSin]

I mean, what goes better with college kids than a late night pizza delivery, now with Army National Guard recruiting right there on top of the pizza box saying that signing up can help pay for your tuition

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/340557/guard_turns_to_pizza_itunes_for_recruiting/index.html?source=r_science

Dec. 26--The Army National Guard thinks it has cooked up the right potion to cure its recruiting dilemma.

A load of pizza, a heaping helping of NASCAR, and a dash of free MP3 downloads and video games -- plus some cash incentives -- are luring the next wave of part-time soldiers. This formula, which is being used to reach those who the Guard thinks are most likely to join, is helping reverse a precipitous decline in the ranks.

"They're going to try to use any means to go out and recruit," said Charles Moskos, a military recruiting expert and professor emeritus at Northwestern University.

Enter the pizza -- actually, the pizza box. On it is a picture of a young woman. The written message on the box says that if you join the Guard, the government will pay you and help cover tuition.

Since October, the boxes have shown up in mom-and-pop pizza places in 700 to 900 college towns nationwide, said Lt. Col. Mike Jones, the Guard's deputy division chief for recruiting and retention.

The Guard spends about 25 cents a box for the ad. A pizzeria owner would get the boxes free.

Jones said that reaching the intended recipients in college towns through their well-established pizza-ingestion habit is cost-effective and leaves an impression.

[BushOut06]

1. What's next, Army recruiting through video games?

What are they going to do next, come out with videogames trying to glamorize the life of an infantry grunt? Oh wait...they've already done that too!

[LynneSin]

3. There are already a horde of games like that out there

that glorify war. So it wouldn't take much to add in an occasion recruiting ad to help gain more recruits.

BTW, welcome to DU :hi:

[losdiablosgato]

13. It's a fun game. Love it or hate it it is a good shooter game.

[acmejack]

2. Right...

I have always felt that advertising for the military was a waste of money. They get plenty of free advertising! And twenty five cents per box is a rip off.

[sasha031]

4. they have cut tuition loans

literally putting college students in a box.

[tx_dem41]

5. At first it sounds silly, but when I was in college I didn't have time..

to read a paper regularly or watch TV hardly at all. Eating pizza was done much more frequently. :)

Since I don't see how this is in the least bit coercive, I don't really have a problem with this.

[LynneSin]

6. I still know people fighting with the army for their college tuition

That alone is why I'm challenged by this because they're putting false advertising on the boxes by saying they'll help with college tuition.

[tx_dem41]

9. I work with people that are in the military as a career.

They knew what they were getting into when they enlisted (some before 9/11, but many since). Most (of the enlisted) are taking college courses presently...even some that are deployed (thru correspondence).

Added: I am not condoning any outright lying by a recruiter.

[johnnie]

7. I agree and want to add..

No matter what anyone feels about georgie's "war" we still need volunteers to join the service. I would rather see the military advertising than a draft enacted.

[BushOut06]

12. Maybe, but most of them are being sold a bill of goods

I don't mind military recruiting, but most recruiters will outright lie to kids. They'll promise them all sorts of things, tell them that they can get training in all these special fields. Then once they're done with boot camp, they're given a rifle and taught all about the finer points of patrolling. Only the very brightest have any real chance of avoiding combat.

[johnnie]

14. I agree with you on that also

I always thought it was common knowledge that those guys will say anything to get their numbers up. I would hope that by the age of 18-19 people would be smart enough to look into what is really being said and what they can expect when they sign contracts, especially one that could be a matter of life and death.

[MemphisTiger]

8. I don't think it will have a huge effect

When kids get pizza the only thing the look at on the outside of the box is coupons for next time. Joining the service is a big deal and I don't think you'll see many people that think this is a good idea and join at the spur of the moment because it was on the pizza box.

[TlalocW]

10. I can't ever remember reading

The flyers on the top of pizza boxes in the first place whenever I ordered a pie in college. There are advertisements for the military all over the internet (even on the Daily Show video download page), and college students love to surf the net too, and those haven't worked. This will be another boondoggle. Military recruitment is not going to go up until we're out of Iraq, and people in positions of power - from the president on down to the lying military recruiters - start dealing in the truth for once.

TlalocW

[Tace]

11. There's An Irony Here -- Join The Service, Come Back Like A Pizza