Marine Corps Stories: The Ad Option

Colonel Martha Saint, the director of marketing and communications with Marine Corps Recruiting Command, donned her mask and went into the meeting. Upon her arrival, the Marines in the room stood at attention. The other Marines rose to their feet.

“Please be seated. So,” she said, taking her seat, “This latest advertisement should hit the Generation Z set. We should be able to roll out the commercial to television outlets throughout the country in the next few weeks. Does anyone object?” six Marines sat in the room, three enlisted and three officers occupied the space, including Martha. Four women and two men sat at the table, six feet apart. It was the first in-person meeting since they’d lifted the virtual meetings. Martha looked poised behind that mask.

“Anyone?” She asked.

Staff Sergeant Becca James spoke up. “Yes, ma’am. If we are to focus on the Gen Z population, primarily 17-24, we should do so with more of a focus on technology, similar, but of course not the same as the Navy and Air Force.”

“Does anyone oppose it?”

“I do.” First Sergeant Hattie Deptford straightened her mask. “I’d say we reinforce our dedication to ground level work, and really hone in on the physical training that goes along with the enlisted advertising package. Maybe we could throw in an image of a Marine giving candy to kids.”

Martha jotted down a few notes. “Anyone else have anything to add?”

Captain Bruce Poehler entered the conversation. “I think we should be able to fuse the two ideals. We should show the grit of physical training, along with our computer systems and other technology the Corps has available. That way, we can highlight both aspects of Marine life.”

Colonel Saint called for more input.

Gunnery Sergeant Alice Howell said that “there should be only a focus on Marines. The Navy and Air Force are fine by themselves. Sure we work with them and we’re a Department of the Navy, but we are still Marines. We are a cut above in many respects compared to other branches. This commercial should be about the strength of the Corps, and our history. It should concern only our battles won, and the opportunity to be one of the few, one of the proud. So with any allusions to any other branch, including and especially the Army, we should caution ourselves. We should be ready and open to distinguishing ourselves.”

Major Romero Spriggs spoke next. “If we scrap this whole idea of Gen Z getting a lesson in what it’s like to be an enlisted Marine, we’ll sacrifice our chance of reaching the core demographic. They want to know the lifestyle. Maybe we should be ultra specific and naturalistic, and show Marines cleaning toilets and swabbing decks. It’s something that should be more appealing than slaying dragons and knocking out digital foes. It would be like displaying the reality of the Marines, as opposed to the ideal sense of what goes into being amongst our ranks. New prospects should be offered the chance to see what life is really like in our Corps.”

Martha had a few words. “If no one is else has anything to add, I have something to say. I have a nineteen-year-old daughter in college. Another one aged seventeen who is ‘still trying to find herself in this world.’ Many times they’ve both told me they don’t wish to have anything to do with Marine life. They know what it’s like to not see me six months or more at a time. What this ad should focus on is the commitment young people should be willing to make, given that the Corps can sometimes put a strain on the lives of everyone involved. That’s why the current proposal to showcase everything positive about the Marine Corps is a plus.” The senior officer in the room rose from her seat, and the other Marines shot out of their own.