The Public House lives by the mantra that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’... but what does ‘boring’ look like when you’re advertising a client like the Defence Forces?
In this case it’s the usual things seen in campaigns all over the world for clients of this nature: action, armament, and adrenaline.
In their new campaign, the first collaboration between the independent creative agency and The Irish Defence Forces, those three things take a back seat to an emotional story that will be all-too-familiar to women all over Ireland.
The campaign, which will run across TV, VOD, OOH, Social, Radio, and Press, encourages people to ignore the little voice inside their heads which sews the seeds of self-doubt.
The suite of communications is designed to replace that nagging doubt - which so often forces potential Defence Forces candidates to self-exclude, with the empowering knowledge that ‘YES YOU CAN’. Within the media mix, some outdoor placements forgo the traditional logos, lockups, and CTAs, to allow women and girls to see the purest form of the message: Yes you can, you are good enough. It is simple, human, and culturally urgent, designed to stop passersby in their tracks and replace hesitation with resolve.
“This campaign isn’t just about recruitment numbers, it’s about representation and possibility,” said Kerrie Sweeney, Managing Director of The Public House. “The insight was simple but so profound - women aren’t opting out because they’re incapable, they’re opting out because the self-doubt is so loud. It was an absolute pleasure to work with clients who genuinely want to understand their audience more.”
In a problem not unique to Ireland, female recruitment has long been a difficult ask for the Defence Forces. This campaign puts women in the foreground - and features a host of inspiring female members of the Defence Forces, across the Army, Navy, and Air Corps.
Speaking on the campaign, Lieutenant Commander Órlaith Gallagher said: “The importance of this campaign cannot be overstated, and we’re extremely proud of the standard of work produced by The Public House. It was a pleasure to be pushed beyond our creative comfort zone resulting in a campaign that not only aims to recruit into the Defence Forces, but also speaks to important themes within our society. This was a fresh space for the Defence Forces and reflective of the progressive, positive changes within our organisation.”
The campaign was made in collaboration with multi-award-winning director Angie Bird, Irish production company Bodacious, led by executive producer Max Brady, Jess Felton at GABHA, and one of the top photographers in Ireland, Rich Davenport.
This work is another example of the agency’s anti-formula approach to building attention grabbing work that is in line with their philosophy that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’. The independent creative agency works with a diverse portfolio of ambitious clients including FBD Insurance, 48 Mobile, Renault and Trócaire.
