Military recruitment marketing tied to film releases

A movie theater ad can look like nothing more than another trailer until the footage starts switching between Hollywood heroes and real soldiers. That was the approach used in a cinema campaign that paired the U.S. Army with 20th Century Fox's *X-Men: First Class*, mixing scenes from the film with footage of actual military personnel and the message, "Heroes — ordinary people who discover they can do extraordinary things."

The campaign was part of a much longer relationship between Hollywood and the military. Filmmakers can gain access to military equipment, locations and personnel, while the armed forces gain an opportunity to influence how they are portrayed on screen. The arrangement can benefit both sides, giving productions greater authenticity while providing the military with another way to reach potential recruits.

What makes this particular campaign stand out is the reported effect it had on its intended audience. Exit polling of moviegoers aged 17 to 24 found that those who had seen the advertisement were 25% more likely to say they would consider joining the Army. Suddenly, the ad wasn't just borrowing the imagery of superheroes, it was using the same cinema environment to connect that imagery with real military service.