• by Karl Greenberg , July 2, 2009

The U.S. Air Force is making science fiction reality, or reality science fiction, in a new campaign by Austin, Texas-based GSD&M that breaks over the July Fourth holiday weekend. In ads that focus on cutting-edge technology, the TV and in-theatre effort includes a recreation of a military fly-over.

The creative idea is that the kinds of things the Air Force does on land, air and space now are the stuff of the future. Ads, aimed at enticing 17- to-24-year-olds to consider enlisting, show how airmen control the Predator robotic plane, help track space debris and use drones to provide ground troops with critical information.

Three TV spots and one cinema spot open with a scene that looks like a science fiction movie. In one spot that shows the Predator drone, soldiers skulk through a fire-red desert landscape as the drone picks up enemy soldiers on the other side of the ridge. The drone shoots the image to satellite, which sends it to a command center where airmen apprise the soldiers about the risk. The red effect peels away to show footage of the drone and airmen controlling it. A voiceover says: "It's not science fiction. It's what we do every day."

Christa D'Andrea, chief of civic outreach with Air Force Recruiting Service, tells Marketing Daily that the previous recruiting campaign, "Do Something Amazing," was phased out in the fall. The new effort, she says, is "really to highlight some of the more interesting career fields airmen are involved in today with high-tech." The ads broke this week, with the cinema spot starting on Friday. In addition to the cinema ad, there is also a 60-second documentary-style interview on what the un-manned Predator does and what an airman's role is in operating it.

"We have also revamped our Web site [www.airforce.com] so it's more high-tech and interactive, and highlights the U.S. Air Force Space Command," says D'Andrea, who adds that the Air Force is also running a grassroots campaign focusing on events like NASCAR races.

The USAF will perform a fly-over at this weekend's Daytona 400 race. The Air Force is also touring several mobile marketing assets to big events. The tour features a highly customized Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang with cutting-edge Air Force technology.

"The effort is more of a public-awareness campaign," says D'Andrea of the new push.