Military Recruiters Use Market Research To Fill Boots

Source: Advertising Age, July 11, 2005

"As the Army struggles to fill boots, the Pentagon is slicing and dicing data from enlistees and the U.S. Census to sharpen direct-marketing efforts for all the armed services," Advertising Age writes in an article offering insight on how "to get a piece of the $200 million U.S. Army account." The Department of Defense has already taken steps to better understand who is enlisting and why by establishing the Joint Advertising Market Research & Studies (JAMRS) program. A visit to JAMRS' website illustrates how the military is using marketing communication -- advertising, direct marketing, and PR -- and market research and studies for recruiting. According to Ad Age, JAMRS, using Claritas' ConsumerPoint software, can sort recruits and applicants down to the ZIP-code-plus-four level, broken into 66 different subgroups. "This information will help the Services reach targeted markets and assist in the development of more effective marketing messages and incentive policies," states JAMRS' website.