The Royal Marine Commando Extreme Sports Challenge - recruiting the best

The Challenge: Issues of perception

The previous Royal Marines advertising campaign was hard-hitting and played on the elite nature of the Marines with the strap line “99.9% of people need not apply”. Unfortunately this actually put off a lot of people who had the right qualities.

i-level’s challenge was to remove doubts that potential recruits might have about joining the Marines. Our solution was to present a different side of the Marines; as down to earth, willing to have a laugh, but are very focused and dedicated. i-level wanted potential recruits to relate to the Marines and feel more confident about applying.

The Strategy: Extreme Vs Marines

i-level partnered with the Extreme Sports Channel who are at the forefront of extreme sports media. The Marines were challenged to attempt the extreme sports disciplines, Coasteering and Parkour by respected extreme sports pros (role models for our audience). The Marines then exacted their revenge; subjecting their challengers to the infamous Marines assault course, mountaineering and white water rafting. The Parkour challenge in particular grabbed the attention of the media. Stories appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, and in BBC & ITV news bulletins.

At the centre of the partnership was the filming of three challenges, each chosen specifically with Marine qualities in mind. Coasteering and white water rafting fit well with the amphibious nature of the Marines. Parkour incorporates agility and stealth and Mountaineering, physicality.

The camaraderie and mutual respect between the two groups really came across in the pieces. The similarities between the extreme sports professionals and the Marines became apparent as the challenges progressed. Most importantly, the videos were entertaining and engaged the audience on their level. Ultimately, the campaign had value beyond anything that could have been achieved in a 30 second spot or a banner.

The Results:

The videos were hosted on a branded microsite and have been uploaded in social network pages to expand reach.

• Next 3 Potential Royal Marines courses at capacity
• 134,000 views (so far) of video pieces by a relevant audience
• Almost 70,000 visits to the Marines microsite
• Cross channel exposure -1,635 spots shown on the Extreme Sports TV channel