Hi there Amy.

I can talk to you about what i have done and what is possible in the Army for public affairs/media and marketing. Unfortunately due to the commercially sensitive nature of my work with Capita i am unable to talk about the intricacies of that. What i can say is that all of our marketing strategies are built on significant market analysis and are audience led.

Please feel free to ask me any further questions that fall within the above constraints.

14 January, 2025 11:38

Hi Robert thanks for getting back to me.

I would love to know what's possible within your role and some of your favourite aspects or projects you've been a part of.

In my course we discuss the pro's and con's of agency work often, and i don't want to get you in any bother so by no means do you have to agree, but i struggle to see the benefits of an agency for the public sector generally, but specifically for the army/defence.

Of course within the industry it's important to have audience led strategies, but there's a huge difference between a civilian and a civilian that not only has an interest in joining the army, but the knowledge and determination to follow through. There's many ad's i've seen from the army that i think are great and convey a powerful message in a direct way, but a good number of ads have fell short in my opinion, focussing far too much on the distinctly civic aspects of a job. which might generate high engagement, but most likely wont lead to increase in recruits or if it does, many may feel disillusioned before even passing basic training. The army's tagline is be the best, so why aren't they trying to target the best?

Now its a broad question which is difficult to answer so forgive me, but what do you think could be done differently in marketing to better appeal to the soldier who's not yet a soldier?

17 January, 2025 14:07

Amy,

Due to the nature of my work, most of what you have asked i will not be answering as i dont feel that i am in a position to be the spokesperson for. I can answer your first question though, to give you an insight into my experiences over the years in various communications roles.

So communications is not a dedicated trade or role within the Army. It is something that is often done as a secondary responsibility or is undertaken by a generalist posted into a particular job that is aligned with media, marketing or public relations. We work closely with Civil Servants as well as Agencies to deliver news and stories about the Army to the public, and support the recruiting effort. There is a dedicated trade for Army Photographers who capture much of the imagery both in day to day situations but also on the front line in a Combat Camera Team.

I began my interest in Army media as a Unit Media Officer (now Unit Communications Officer) a role that ostensibly provided a trained media handler to a unit, a point of contact for Army HQ Press Team and someone to manage unit level social media, I did this for a couple of years as a secondary task along side being an Armoured Troop Leader. Following this i applied to become the Media Officer for British Forces South Atlantic Islands. A responsibility that saw me undertake similar tasks but this time as my primary role and for all British territories and military froces in the South Atlantic. I was based in the Falklands and had an amazing 6 months. I saw everything that was on offer with tasks coming across my desk such as taking photos of Icebergs from a low level hercules flight to enable tracking for shipping routes, Finding ways to highlight the great Civil Military cooperation that happens and to tell any News stories such as when new capabilities arrived on the islands. I got to do so many things that i would never have seen if i had remained in my armoured role.

Following this, I applied to fill the position of Social Media Channel Manager at Army HQ and was successful. This saw me helping to plan and deliver content and manage the Army main social media channels. Once again i got exposed to all the Army has to offer and with the full complement of resources to make things happen. I was trained in video editing and capture and was able to see things through from start right to finish. I was on the desk for royal funerals as well as helping to deliver news on big geopolitical events the UK was a part of. It was a very professionally satisfying job to have.

I then had to take a break to conduct some career courses for my professional development however following this i moved into a job where i was a Combat Camera Team and Media Operations Lead for a NATO HQ based in the UK. This was another opportunity i would not have had in my armoured life. I got to work with brilliant people from across the Alliance and tell their stories. I travelled extensively and had a lot of fun while doing strategically important work. I knew i didnt want to leave communications so applied for the Marketing role i currently sit in. This role sees me facilitate all of the recruiting material that is produced, again working with some truly brilliant and creative people to achieve the goals of the Army.

I didn't join to do this sort of work but as we often say, there are many many different careers to be had, and i for one wouldn't change mine.

28 January, 2025 14:36