TV Commercial

brovol

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I just saw a commercial on TV for the Air Force Academy. Not an Air Force commercial, but an actual Air Force Academy commercial. I have never seen a commercial for any of the service academies before. I am surprised that USAFA would spend money on advertising, when there is more than an abundance of applicants. What gives? Seems conspicuously wasteful.
 
Commercial drives my son crazy. It's on every time he watches tv and he just shakes his head and says, "Commercial makes it look so easy. Just go to the Air force academy and you can be anything." No mention about high standards, applications, nominations, Dodmerb ... Just I can be anything if I go ...
 
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My household wonders why there is a television commercial as well. Seems to have just started up last week and we’ve seen it more than once. Pretty strange to me that they are spending money on TV spots, and not just cheap ones in the middle of the night. I guess if it really bothers anyone, they can direct their complaints to the PAO at USAFA!
 
I just saw a commercial on TV for the Air Force Academy. Not an Air Force commercial, but an actual Air Force Academy commercial. I have never seen a commercial for any of the service academies before. I am surprised that USAFA would spend money on advertising, when there is more than an abundance of applicants. What gives? Seems conspicuously wasteful.
I haven't noticed it. But it has to be better than the 1970 commercial
.

Did you notice the particular demographics of those depicted in the commercial? They are reaching out for diversity applicants. Because, that's why we lost World War II, not enough diversity.
In the 1970's video, every cadet was a white male. The theory as to why adding diversity makes a better team (military or otherwise) is to make a bigger applicant pool. If a fraction of the applicants are of a certain race, then USAFA isn't penetrating that demographic. The end goal is to INCREASE the quality of the pool, not decrease it. Done correctly, the concept works.

If it matters, I'm a white male. And diversity makes a lot of sense to me.
 
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We have seen the USAFA commercial off and on over the last several months. There are also commercials for WP and USNA out there as well.
 
Seen the commercial a few times over the last few months on regular TV. Yes, USMA and USNA also have commercials. I have only seen those on TV during a game of some sort for those institutions.
 
As for the '70's commercial...have you ever looked at the stuff the agency's created in those days? This looks pretty funny but back in the day, this would have been an award winner compared to some of the others.
 
Did you notice the particular demographics of those depicted in the commercial? They are reaching out for diversity applicants. Because, that's why we lost World War II, not enough diversity.
I haven't noticed it. But it has to be better than the 1970 commercial
.


In the 1970's video, every cadet was a white male. The theory as to why adding diversity makes a better team (military or otherwise) is to make a bigger applicant pool. If a fraction of the applicants are of a certain race, then USAFA isn't penetrating that demographic. The end goal is to INCREASE the quality of the pool, not decrease it. Done correctly, the concept works.

If it matters, I'm a white male. And diversity makes a lot of sense to me.

Bingo....and I am a white male too!

I just searched for and watched the commercial. I think it is a very good commercial.
 
Watching the 1970's commercial, I could not help but think that some of the cadets shown would later be remembered by the trees planted by the reflecting pools. I remember their sacrifices every time I am there. The newest AFA commercial I could find on Youtube, stresses that a cadet can become anything. How about advertising that the mission is to defend your country?
 
We have seen the USAFA commercial off and on over the last several months. There are also commercials for WP and USNA out there as well.
Every school has a piece that is shown during TV football games. I get that. But I haven't seen any actual commercial for an Academy which is run during regular programing, and designed to recruit applicants. And if USMA or USNA has them I would be curious to watch, and equally disappointed.

All due respect, until USAFA is hurting for quality applicants, we shouldn't be spending money to recruit them. I get encouraging underrepresented groups to apply, but if someone doesn't recognize attending one of these incredible institutions, and serving their country as a tremendous honor and opportunity, then let's admit those who are abundantly qualified, eager and proud to serve, instead of rejecting them so we can meet gender and/or other diversity requirements. I am not suggesting that there shouldn't be an effort to achieve diversity. There should be.
 
I think the commercials are great, new or old. Personally, they informed me that there was an opportunity out there for me to go from enlisted to officer. Being enlisted is great, but had I seen or someone even mentioned to me about the USAFA in high school, you'd better believe I would have applied a hell of a lot sooner. Not everyone knows about service academies. There is bound to be blind spots in searching for one's choices in life. Some choices might be more apparent while others you'll have actually dig to find. I know for the most part, a great deal of enlisted zone in on going OTS. USAFA just isn't the most common method brought up contemplating commissioning. Now could you say that was ignorance on my end for not searching? Maybe. But I don't think so, I just didn't know.
 
^ +1 I stumbled onto the academy because of tennis. I had never heard of it and likely never would have without tennis. For areas where there are no bases or military presence, commercials make a big difference. My high school counselor didn't even know what USAFA was...she tried to talk me out of enlisting the first time we discussed it.

Diversity is about more than just race, it's about bringing in different backgrounds and perspectives, including those who have little to no military exposure. It's the same line of reasoning that results in schools preferring graduate students teach somewhere other than where they studied. If everyone has the same background, they all approach problems the same way.
 
USAFA and all academies should get the best kids they can get. Period. If that includes the proper mix of diversity, then wonderful.

If you had to do a top level rescue mission would you send the best 20 for the job, or use a checklist to be sure all genders, races, and sexual orientations were represented? Oh wait! Hold the helo... I just recognized we need one more home schooler and someone from the Midwest on the extraction team.
 
Can someone post the link? I'd like to get my hooah spirit going this morning...is it called that in Air Force? Is it moto?
 
USAFA won an Emmy last year for its TV commercial. Google it to watch it.
 
"Best" is such an arbitrary word. It's also very subjective. We have discussed on this forum so many times what constitutes the "Best". Best qualified; Most qualified; etc. We should be looking at it as trying to get the "BEST CLASS" of cadets POSSIBLE. And hopefully, they will graduate, get commissioned, and become the "Best Officer Year group" in the Air Force.

As of 2015, the air force consisted of:
313,242 Active Duty
60,425 Officers
252,817 Enlisted

When trying to describe the "BEST", you can't forget to include the word "Possible". There are too many possibilities to over simplify the objective of selecting "The Best". A 4.0gpa and 36ACT doesn't make someone "The Best". Being a 5 star national recruited athlete doesn't make someone "The best". (Don't worry, 5 star athletes don't look at the academies as an option".) Being white, black, hispanic, female, male, etc. doesn't make someone "The Best".

BUT..... when you combine all the human attributes together; academics, athletics, leadership, community, compassion, selflessness, integrity, discipline, maturity, and a host of other human qualities....... "Then you can find THE BEST". And an officer corp that represents the enlisted corp is PART of what makes "The Best"; for all of the qualities I mentioned above. And remember, the word "POSSIBLE" is equally important. Not all of "The best" are going to apply to the academies. Some will be at the traditional universities. Some won't go to college. I've met some people that never went to college that I would put in the category of "The Best".

As for the commercials, I see nothing wrong with them. Contrary to what some may think, the academies are not known to the majority of people. The majority know they exist, but most believe and think "It's not for them". I grew up exactly 96 miles from West Point and 209 miles from Annapolis. And NEITHER was considered an option for me. Not because of my grades; I was a very good student. It wasn't an option, because I was 17 years old, and I didn't have guidance counselors, parents, friends, teachers, etc. letting me know it was an option. I knew "JOINING THE MILITARY" was an option; but not that going to an academy, getting a degree, and getting commissioned was an option. And believe it not, MOST of the country still things that way. Those who know and understand what the academy truly is, think it's in line with Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. "Which academically it is". But most people don't realize that the Ivy League schools are an option for them. They automatically discard them as an option. Even though they more than qualify. Same with the academies. They don't think they are an option, so they discard it and look at other option. Those who don't know much if anything about the academies, think they are something you do ONCE YOU'RE IN THE MILITARY. I didn't realize the academy was an option until I was already enlisted, and too late because of age and marital status. I also didn't attend college immediately out of high school, because my parents said they couldn't afford it. And I never knew of any options for scholarships, grants, etc. I grew up thinking the only way you went to a good university; not counting "Community College"; was 1) You were wealthy; 2) You were #1-#2 graduating in your class; or 3) You were a SUPER-JOCK. And in new jersey where I grew up, we didn't have any "University of New Jersey". They had dinky schools like Princeton, Rutgers, and Montclair. Yes, in state students could go to the universities, but it still was a lot of money. So for me, I didn't KNOW of options. So, I enlisted. I went on to get 3 degrees. And I'm doing quite well actually. But I always wonder what my like would have turned out had I KNOWN of the academies, of scholarships, grants, and other options.

So, if commercials help the average kid; whether inner city, rural, or traditional suburbia know they have options, and the academies are some of those options, then that's great. That's why I've committed the last 25 years of my life to helping kids get into college. And many of them into the academies. Because I didn't KNOW I had options. And I want to make sure others know they DO HAVE OPTIONS. And if the advertising also helps get more diversity students in the selection pool, then that's great too. And don't worry about "Standards being lowered". The "STANDARDS" and what the quality of the appointees are; are "TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS". NO ONE is LOWER than the STANDARDS to get into the academy. But 90% of those entering, FAR EXCEED the standards. So I don't know what anyone could complain about. The standards are being well surpassed. Of course, the only complaints, are usually from those who CAN'T PROPERLY DEFINE "THE BEST". To most, "BEST" simply translates into GPA and ACT/SAT scores. That is so far from the truth.
 
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