Navy's DM sell builds job buzz in Singapore

The direct mail pack, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, targets O-Level graduates by tapping into the collectible action figure rage sweeping Singapore. According to Graham Kelly, executive creative director at Saatchis Singapore, the Navy sent more than 25,000 packs to graduating teens. Each pack contained a collectible action figure, including a navy diver and a naval systems specialist, which could be assembled using parts provided. "Like any direct mailer, this is speaking to receivers on a one-to-one basis. It's something they can hold on to and, essentially, this is just making the Navy look cool," said Kelly. "There is a brochure in the mailer which tells about the weapons systems. It gives the reasons the Navy is a desirable career choice and there's also a reply form." Just days after the mailer was sent out, teens were scouting the web's chat rooms to get their hands on the limited edition collectibles."(Internet users) are bidding on auction (sites) for the figures and are actually willing to pay for them. There's also been interest from the Navy's own staff." The 'Gearing up for the Navy' campaign also used online marketing and posters to support the drive. The creative idea was extended to anime-style posters, distributed at career fairs to publicise the Navy's collectibles and to promote the online component of the campaign. "The idea was that teens could put these up on the wall," Kelly added. He said the agency created a viral online game (gear-up.com.sg), which allowed the youth to build and play with Navy action figures. The agency also offered online users the chance to win a limited edition naval officer action figure if they ranked among the top scorers in the game. "This will come complete with a cap and ceremonial sword. We're only creating 500 of these and the highest scoring players will get them," said Kelly. "Because there is so much interest, we're going to put up a website, not a deliberate commercial site but a collectors site. This will be a nice way for people to see the figures and visuals," said Kelly, adding that the Navy's advertising was different to other armed forces because it used humour in its ads, while still communicating a serious message.