Call to Duty: Army launches Start Thinking Soldier campaign

6 April 2009 13:03 GMT / By Chris Hall

The British Army today unveils its latest recruitment campaign in the form of Start Thinking Solider.

The new campaign is designed to combine traditional television advertising with an interactive online experience. Potential recruits, rather than just being invited to "learn more" as in previous campaigns, will now be able to log into the Army Jobs website and take part in a series of missions.

The website will encourage people to register so that they can track their progress, see what they have achieved, whilst establishing a connection between the Army and potential recruits.

The online campaign uses Flash to provide a gaming-style environment beefed up with plenty of video, featuring real soldiers in realistic situations. Participants will get instant feedback on their decisions, working through missions and being given an insight into skills the Army are looking for.

So it won't match up to Call of Duty 4, but that isn't the aim. The real aim is to provide something that young people can relate to, a bridge to encourage those interested in the Army to experience a little more of what is on offer.

Following the TV and online aspects, those eager to get a flavour of the Army will be invited to live events with the chance to meet real soldiers and see some of the kit they've explored online.

The first of four adverts will be shown tonight (Channel 4, 18:45, during Hollyoaks), encouraging viewers online. Subsequent adverts will be supported by online missions, rolling out over the next 4 months.

If you can't wait that long, the website is now live (link below).