US Navy’s Creepy New Ads Send Conflicting Message About Liberty

‘The principle battlefield in the war for your mind is public media. In this field of operations, winning hearts and minds is about creating illusions, managing perceptions, and cleverly blurring the lines between life, death and entertainment. The more exaggerated, absurd and over-embellished a claim is, the more volume it has in the crowded mental space of consumer culture.

Enter the United States Navy marketing team.

The Navy recently launched a new TV advertising campaign aimed at convincing would-be recruits and potential re-enlistees to visit their nearest Navy recruiting office to sign-up. The ads say very little, relying instead on powerful imagery, control fantasy and gripping soundtrack to send the message that the Navy is your shield, and since you can’t beat ‘em, maybe it’s better if you join ‘em.’

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