Message Strategies in Military Recruitment Advertising

• Author: Zienab Shoieb,Ronald E. Taylor,Sejin Park
• Published date: 01 July 2017
• Date: 01 July 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X16642037
• Subject Matter: Research Note

Research Note

Message Strategies

in Military Recruitment

Advertising: A Research

Note

Sejin Park

1

, Zienab Shoieb

1

,

and Ronald E. Taylor

1

Abstract

This study investigates message strategies used in U.S. military commercials using

Taylor’s six-segment strategy wheel. A content analysis of 125 military television

commercials reveals that (1) majority of military commercials employed transfor-

mational strategy rather than informational strategy; (2) military commercials only

used high involvement message strategies (i.e., ration, ego, and social) and no acute

need, routine, and sensory commercials were observed; and (3) message strategies

in military advertising varied across the number of wars and recruiting targets.

Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords

message strategy, military advertising, content analysis, TV commercials

Introduction

The U.S. military spends millions of dollars on advertising every year to attract

new recruits (U.S. Department of Defense [DOD], 2014); nevertheless, little is

known about military advertising. Few studies have explored the topic. For

1

School of Advertising and Public Relations, College of Commu nication and Information, University

of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

Corresponding Author:

Sejin Park, School of Advertisi ng and Public Relations, Colleg e of Communication and Informat ion,

University of Tennessee, 401-J Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.

Email: spark37@vols.utk.edu

Armed Forces & Society

2017, Vol. 43(3) 566-573

ªThe Author(s) 2016

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X16642037

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