Getting the right response to your campaign

In marketing it’s all about the numbers. Or not?

When you start a recruitment campaign, you usually wish to be knocked over by the amount of people you reach, and hopefully direct just as many towards activation and adopting your key message.

When recruiting for a specialized job, it’s different. You don’t want the whole world to apply: you want the great ones to come through. That way your campaign saves money — since people don’t have to dive through a whole bunch of unfit resumés — and is more effective in reaching it’s goal.

That’s exactly what started off the latest recruitment campaign for the Dutch Ministry of Defense. They’re always looking for the strongest individuals to join the special forces unit. A lot of people want to become a ‘commando’ apparently, trained to act in the most complex and demanding missions. So there’s no need to attract more candidates. But how do they find the perfect man for the job?

Be prepared

The rules of application to join the special forces are very strict. You can not be too old, short or out of shape. In order to monitor that last aspect, the Ministry of Defense decided to publish a workout app that serves as a perfect example for what applicants can expect. With a heavy training scheme and also some challenging mental exercises, you will think twice before you apply — and this will make the strong ones even more confident that they are the right fit. A win-win situation.

Download

Want to see for yourself? Feel free to download the app (for iOS or Android, Dutch only) en start training. Push ups, running, swimming, chinning… Tough, right? Well, beware — there’s (almost) no way to cheat. We built in special sensors to track your steps. Big brother is watching!

The app was downloaded over 10,000 times during the first weeks of the campaign (iOS and Android combined), and will still be available in the next months or so. This seems to be a great way to prepare for an application with the Ministry of Defense. Let’s hope it brings out the most motivated, talented and fierce people we’ve got!

The Commando Training App (KCT) was designed by Maximum, also responsible for the total visual identity of the campaign. Video’s are produced by Steam. YipYip developed both apps (iOS and Android). And yes - we tested all those exercises ourselves. (On a bike, mostly.)