RAF missing a trick?
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RAF missing a trick?
Anyone else reckon the RAF is missing a trick with regards to publicity and recruitment?
It seems every time I turn on the tv there is another documentary about he RN, the latest one the very good documentary about Queen Elizabeth entering service, before that there was Warship about HMS Ocean, RN School about their basic training school and others including Royal Marines.
The RAF would benefit massively from some sort of tv publicty show/documentary.
Lots of positive and exciting stuff that could be used to publicise what the guys and girls get upto around the globe.
It seems every time I turn on the tv there is another documentary about he RN, the latest one the very good documentary about Queen Elizabeth entering service, before that there was Warship about HMS Ocean, RN School about their basic training school and others including Royal Marines.
The RAF would benefit massively from some sort of tv publicty show/documentary.
Lots of positive and exciting stuff that could be used to publicise what the guys and girls get upto around the globe.
Jayand
From what I can gather the RN need a lot of sailors to fill their new boats and a lot of recruitment is required.
The RAF might have a retention problem but probably doesn’t need to turn on the recruitment taps in quite the same way.
Why waste money on expensive advertising campaigns when they don’t need them?
Just my quick precis. It doesn’t mean I’m right of course.
BV
The RAF might have a retention problem but probably doesn’t need to turn on the recruitment taps in quite the same way.
Why waste money on expensive advertising campaigns when they don’t need them?
Just my quick precis. It doesn’t mean I’m right of course.
BV
The RAF has recently been rebranded and it now has a nice new meejah inspired green and yellow roundel. ��
This will clearly appeal to yoof and they will flock to the colours. No need to panic.
This will clearly appeal to yoof and they will flock to the colours. No need to panic.
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From what I can gather the RN need a lot of sailors to fill their new boats and a lot of recruitment is required.
The RAF might have a retention problem but probably doesn’t need to turn on the recruitment taps in quite the same way.
Why waste money on expensive advertising campaigns when they don’t need them?
Just my quick precis. It doesn’t mean I’m right of course.
BV
The RAF might have a retention problem but probably doesn’t need to turn on the recruitment taps in quite the same way.
Why waste money on expensive advertising campaigns when they don’t need them?
Just my quick precis. It doesn’t mean I’m right of course.
BV
I’d definitely be spending money on some serious PR time via the big screen in everyone’s living room! The RAF Valley programme with Rhod Gilbert was a woeful attempt. The RN do it far better and we should take notice of the effect it may well have on their recruitment.
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"Lots of positive and exciting stuff that could be used to publicise what the guys and girls get upto around the globe."
Maybe but not convinced. The RAF has made a huge mess of Air Cadet Flying, pilots have been made redundant in recent times and those training today take years to get through the system and onto the frontline. Engineering? RAF Cosford "The Home of RAF Engineering" has not maintained its flying units in years thanks to contractorisation and the VGS first formed there in 1948 was disbanded. I fear RAF Cosford mostly trains bright young people to change boxes which are sent back to the manufacturer, not sure airframes or engines much different.
Maybe but not convinced. The RAF has made a huge mess of Air Cadet Flying, pilots have been made redundant in recent times and those training today take years to get through the system and onto the frontline. Engineering? RAF Cosford "The Home of RAF Engineering" has not maintained its flying units in years thanks to contractorisation and the VGS first formed there in 1948 was disbanded. I fear RAF Cosford mostly trains bright young people to change boxes which are sent back to the manufacturer, not sure airframes or engines much different.
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My dealings with RAF Meeja Con[t]sultants in the 90s was severely depressing. No grasp of the topic, but pre-conceived ideas of how things ‘should be done’. Instead of a marginal air cdre, I do believe the right wg cdr would make the best DPR(RAF) ... if he was given the right to say “Poke off, that’s ludicrous.”
I recall the best that the TV system could do for the RAFs image were two purile efforts called: "Get Some In" and "Around The Watch Tower".
The first dealt with a group of NS airmen and the latter some remote radar site commanded by a wg cdr. Both efforts were truly awful IMHO.
Even when the RAF was involved in "Helicopter Rescue", the RN seemed to have greater exposure than did the air force.
It ought not to be beyond the capability of the RAF media and comms mob to develop a series following a couple of people through the system or even to have a couple who were at both ends of the system - one a recruit t'other an experienced operator.
Regrettably, the whole thing would be spoiled because it would have to be served up with large doses of inclusivity, diversity and several other 'itys', instead of just telling the story and getting the message across.
Old Duffer
The first dealt with a group of NS airmen and the latter some remote radar site commanded by a wg cdr. Both efforts were truly awful IMHO.
Even when the RAF was involved in "Helicopter Rescue", the RN seemed to have greater exposure than did the air force.
It ought not to be beyond the capability of the RAF media and comms mob to develop a series following a couple of people through the system or even to have a couple who were at both ends of the system - one a recruit t'other an experienced operator.
Regrettably, the whole thing would be spoiled because it would have to be served up with large doses of inclusivity, diversity and several other 'itys', instead of just telling the story and getting the message across.
Old Duffer
Back when the last recruiting crisis arose, MoD(Air) asked some advertising company about the best way to catch the attention of prospective recruits....
"What's the demographic you have in mind?"
"Mainly young men in their late teens, so what do you suggest?"
"Bums and tits"
"What? We couldn't possibly allow that"
"OK - your choice. Unlikely that you'll grab their attention any other way. Here's our invoice...."
"What's the demographic you have in mind?"
"Mainly young men in their late teens, so what do you suggest?"
"Bums and tits"
"What? We couldn't possibly allow that"
"OK - your choice. Unlikely that you'll grab their attention any other way. Here's our invoice...."
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Recruitment is always ongoing and needed.
Perfect opportunity to film out in Akrotiri right now, what better than a hot, sunny overseas base with lots of Operational and social/sporting stuff going on? They'd be queing up at the AFCO's.
Perfect opportunity to film out in Akrotiri right now, what better than a hot, sunny overseas base with lots of Operational and social/sporting stuff going on? They'd be queing up at the AFCO's.
Going back to the original question posed at the start of the thread, I do believe the RAF is missing a trick here.
The various "fly on the wall" documentaries featuring the Navy, of which the Queen Elizabeth series was the latest, are basically free adverts for the Navy and are almost 100% puffery reminiscent of 1950s Pathe newsreels. The degree of deference shown, and the almost sycophantic adherence to the party line could almost restore faith in the media, if you didnt know better!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching them, and they are interesting, but they could hardly be described as hard hitting, insightful or thought provoking. Nevertheless, I invariably come away from them with a warmish glow about the Navy.
Even allowing for the fact that their recruitment needs are different from the RAF's a bit of free goodwill never comes amiss, and could help address what seems to me to be a growing issue, that the visibility of the RAF to the UK public continues to diminish .
The TV companies need content to fill the airwaves, and this sort of thing is cheap to produce and hence attractive to them. Why not take advantage?
The various "fly on the wall" documentaries featuring the Navy, of which the Queen Elizabeth series was the latest, are basically free adverts for the Navy and are almost 100% puffery reminiscent of 1950s Pathe newsreels. The degree of deference shown, and the almost sycophantic adherence to the party line could almost restore faith in the media, if you didnt know better!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching them, and they are interesting, but they could hardly be described as hard hitting, insightful or thought provoking. Nevertheless, I invariably come away from them with a warmish glow about the Navy.
Even allowing for the fact that their recruitment needs are different from the RAF's a bit of free goodwill never comes amiss, and could help address what seems to me to be a growing issue, that the visibility of the RAF to the UK public continues to diminish .
The TV companies need content to fill the airwaves, and this sort of thing is cheap to produce and hence attractive to them. Why not take advantage?
I have a very jaundiced view of 'publicity' programmes. They can't be insightful, thought provoking etc because the great unwashed couldn't understand them or would rapidly lose interest in the subject matter.
The thought processes of many, including those at supposed bastions of education and learning, are very shallow and their knowledge of anything other than the 'here and now' sparse.
O-D
The thought processes of many, including those at supposed bastions of education and learning, are very shallow and their knowledge of anything other than the 'here and now' sparse.
O-D
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Almost certainly would end up at Lossiemouth given dwindling number of other bases! You're not comparing Mt Pleasant to Lossie though surely? ;-)
It doesn't have to be hard hitting or too in depth, look at the helicopter hero's programme on tv just now, they have tv crews at three or four seperate locations and show the interesting jobs they get called to.
Could easily do similar for RAF, imagine a crew being followed on Q getting scrambled to an intercept, tonka crew in Cyprus flying into Syria, humanitarian job somewhere sunny for a C17 or herc crew, a crew following recruits at Halton or Cranwell, new MPA Sqn forming at Lossie, Reaper ops etc.....there's plenty of material
It doesn't have to be hard hitting or too in depth, look at the helicopter hero's programme on tv just now, they have tv crews at three or four seperate locations and show the interesting jobs they get called to.
Could easily do similar for RAF, imagine a crew being followed on Q getting scrambled to an intercept, tonka crew in Cyprus flying into Syria, humanitarian job somewhere sunny for a C17 or herc crew, a crew following recruits at Halton or Cranwell, new MPA Sqn forming at Lossie, Reaper ops etc.....there's plenty of material
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these days they'd probably get a better response showing drone operators and people working on decent trades.. 99% of people don't think they'd qualify for aircrew anyway
Sell quality training ............. especially to those who don't go off to do Advanced TV programming at their local "Uni"
Sell quality training ............. especially to those who don't go off to do Advanced TV programming at their local "Uni"
these days they'd probably get a better response showing drone operators and people working on decent trades.. 99% of people don't think they'd qualify for aircrew anyway
Sell quality training ............. especially to those who don't go off to do Advanced TV programming at their local "Uni"
Sell quality training ............. especially to those who don't go off to do Advanced TV programming at their local "Uni"
Other than that, I do recall a couple of quite warry advertising campaigns in the late 90s as I was joining up. If I recall they might even have been criticised for being too warry, but frankly that’s the sort of thing that would have worked on me back then - the RAF as a well equipped, relevant, elite fighting force. And am I imagining a campaign that was about a team in a supermarket with one of them cutting his finger and everyone rushing round to support him? I’m assuming that I’m getting wires crossed with age and making that up now because I don’t think anyone would sanction something so cringingly bad.
Did we not try this thirty years ago with "Fighter Pilot", which I do not remember as a great success. It certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons with such issues as the lifestyle of the "livers out", causing the RAF to insist that first tourists had to live on base or in quarters. It is essential to retain editorial rights to prevent the media from setting its own agenda.
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Optional programme titles could include:
”It’s an interesting life in Supply Squadron”
”Administration is Vitally Important”
”Accounting Careers Add Up”
”It’s an interesting life in Supply Squadron”
”Administration is Vitally Important”
”Accounting Careers Add Up”