The Spy Who Markets
The clock strikes 8pm and you have just finished cleaning the kitchen after dinner. It’s time to unwind.
With a drink in hand, you hit the couch and turn on Hulu.
Scrolling through the many options, you come across a spy movie. You think “why not? Let’s add some excitement to my night”. You press Play and sink comfortably into the couch.
Halfway into the movie, as you are thinking “I could totally be a spy”, you are suddenly hit with a non-skippable ad! Should have updated your account to Premium…
Annoyed but too comfortable to move, the ad continues.
Mind. Blown.
Your first reaction is, “is this an ad for another spy movie? This can’t be real. Wait…is the C.I.A. watching me right now?”.
Nope. You just watched the C.I.A.’s first television recruiting advertisement.
As a marketer, you create strategies to reach your client’s target audience. But what approach do you take when your client is an agency of spies?
Well, you take a more modern approach. Previously recruitment was done at Ivy League schools, Hollywood-produced TV programs and school science fairs. But now, the agency is recognizing the value of streaming platforms.
Coming off their best recruitment class in a decade in 2019, the C.I.A. wanted to reach a broader audience and increase diversity. With Silicon Valley snapping up the best hackers and computer savvy candidates, the C.I.A. needed to step up their game and find a way to appeal to a larger audience.
In keeping with the secrecy of the C.I.A., they don’t even disclaim who produced their video. Based on the exaggerated acting, beams of flashing lights, and connections in Hollywood…I’m going with J.J. Abrams.
The C.I.A.’s approach to recruitment is a big deal for marketing. The agency is embracing marketing tools and shifting from in-person recruitment to digital.
Last year they created an Instagram feed, a recruitment website available over the privacy-minded Tor network, and they updated their YouTube Channel.
After watching their recruitment video several times, I noticed something. The staff in the video is heavily diverse, including African-Americans, people of East Asian and South Asian appearance, as well as white employees.
You might think that casting decision was based on current trends, but the C.I.A. has been working on diversity since the 1980’s under former C.I.A. director William Casey.
As a key objective for the agency is adding diversity to their staff, instead of targeting the stereotypical white male graduate from Yale University, their challenge lies in finding ideal candidates in such a broad audience on a huge platform.
I would be interested to see how effective the television advertisement will be for their recruitment process and the demographics of the recruited. If it’s successful, the C.I.A. will likely continue to embrace more modern forms of marketing with a focus on online platforms.
If you ever dreamed of chasing bad guys through the streets, or handing cryptic messages over via a handshake, or hacking terrorist emails, you’re in luck! The C.I.A. is looking for new recruits and all you have to do is turn on Hulu to learn about it.
Article: The C.I.A.’s Business Is Secrets, but It Is Recruiting Spies in the Open
