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Join our team - Irish Defence Forces | Clapboard Ad Archive
Launched in Ireland in 2016, Join Our Team positioned the Irish Defence Forces at the centre of a sophisticated public interest recruitment campaign that refocused perceptions of military service for a new generation, with Rothco delivering a film-led initiative that connected aspiration to identity. At its heart is a creative conceit that reinterprets the everyday experiences of prospective recruits, proposing that actions and instincts formed over a lifetime — often dismissed as ordinary — are in fact innate qualifications, subtly aligning personal growth with military readiness. The campaign draws viewers in from the very first cue — You’ll want sound for this — setting expectations for an immersive experience where sound and action drive emotional resonance, and where the cinematic craft deepens engagement by inviting viewers to picture themselves as part of Óglaigh na hÉireann. By leveraging what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#10—Associated User Imagery, the work sidesteps heavy-handed calls to patriotism or rote testimonials in favor of a strategy that shapes Defence Forces members as everyday, relatable, and yet extraordinary avatars for its target audience; this is neither mythic heroism nor manufactured drama, but a documentary-feeling invitation grounded in lived reality and recognisable aspiration. Throughout, the campaign’s narrative establishes a sense of latent potential within the viewer, deftly bridging the gap between civilian and soldier and lowering the psychological barrier to entry — viewers are not asked to transform, but rather to realize and own a role for which they have always, perhaps unwittingly, been prepared. The use of the Irish-language name Óglaigh na hÉireann further anchors the work in national identity, broadening its imaginative reach and signifying that military service is as much an act of belonging as it is one of personal accomplishment, while the film’s URL callout and recruitment pathway are clear and unfussy, guiding curiosity toward action. In a market category that often struggles with relevance or recruitment inertia, Join Our Team reasserted the Defence Forces’ place in Irish society, securing over 363,000 views and garnering genuine engagement with the recruitment platform at a time when defense roles need to compete with wider career opportunities. Clapboard rates this 69/100. The campaign signals that the future of public interest recruitment lies in seeing prospects as they already are, inviting them to recognize their fit rather than convincing them to change.
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