Swedish Armed Forces direct mail case study

Not everyone who joins the army is officer material, and attracting the right candidates is a real challenge. Until now, compulsory military service has provided the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) with a huge pool of potential candidates. But as this comes to an end, the SAF need to find new ways to reach this high-calibre target audience.

SAF’s agency DDB devised a recruitment campaign that would intrigue high achieving problem solvers and test their ability to work as a team.

About 7,500 17-year olds were mailed a single frame of celluloid with a unique number which they had to submit on to a website. Using this number they'd work with other recipients to build a film which, once complete, would reveal a code that they had to decipher. This would direct them to the SAF’s online Hub where they could take more tests and download an application form.

The recruitment mailing achieved an impressive 40% response rate and the SAF received 1,400 completed applications from candidates who met - and exceeded - the high standards required for officer training.

John Griffiths, founder of Planning Above and Beyond, comments: 'This campaign delivered an audience who like the way they are spoken to and who are willing to participate. You don't need to be an army to put out these creative challenges, but you get a better army when you do.'