The Defence Resources Agency (KRA) advertisements raise questions. If conscription is mandatory, as the agency claims, then why is taxpayer money being spent to influence people? Why is the budget being spent on targeting such large crowds? The approach is reminiscent of mass influence techniques that have historically been used to achieve a variety of evil intentions. Is this simply a lousy advertising strategy, or does it speak to a broader concern about how the state is trying to instill specific thought patterns in people? Slavery took a closer look.
Overview of Defense Resources Agency’s Advertisements
“What Happens When You Enter the Gates of Conscription Camps?”
The 40-second clip gave the impression that it was more of an inspirational than an informative video. If the campaign was aimed at encouraging young people to join the military, why was the target group expanded to 65+? This is a clear waste of resources, where a large part of the audience is not part of the relevant target group since only men aged 17-27 are called up for military service. The longer YouTube clip, where viewers were directed, is more informative.
- Time period 4.10.2024–9.11.2024
- Target audience 18–65+ years, all genders
- Reach 8,818 people:
- Coverage in the age group 18–24: 340 people (~4%)
- Coverage in the age group 35+: 6,853 people (~78%)
“Conscription: Junior Non-Commissioned Officer’s Specialty Course (NAEK)”
Although the video clip accompanying the ad is substantially better than the previous one and contains practical information, it was again aimed at a broad and irrelevant target group. More than half of the viewers were outside the age limit for military service.
- Time period 31.10.2024–7.11.2024
- Target audience 18–65+ years, all genders
- Reach 15,984 people
- Coverage in the age group 18–24: 3,092 people (~19%)
- Coverage in the age group 35–65+: 8,071 people (~51%)
“Complete Conscription Service With Friends”
The campaign achieved the highest reach, but it again played on a massive and vague target audience. Was the goal really to encourage young people to join the military service or to achieve significant reach to create the perception of a successful campaign?
- Time period 27.11.2024–15.12.2024
- Target audience 18–65+ years, all genders
- Reach 22,782 people
- Reach in the age group 18–24: 7,695 people (~34%)
- Coverage in the age group 35–65+: 8,881 people (~39%)
“Come to the Reserve Training Camp”
Although the campaign targeting reserve training differed from the conscription advertisements in that it targeted a narrower age range, the opposite question arises: why were the advertisements limited to a male target group? According to Meta, the ads received a lot of reach, but their messages were again not applicable to everyone. It is also important to note that, unlike the aforementioned, the account of the Military Newspaper, not the Defence Resources Agency, was used to distribute the advertisements.
- Time period 7.10.2024–28.10.2024
- Target audience 18–40 years old, men only
- Reach between 15,000 and 40,000 people (depending on the ad)
Mass Influence Techniques
The campaigns play on emotions using specifically selected content, captivating music, and a dramatic tone.
Conscription is portrayed as mandatory and honorable, but at the same time, large sums of money are spent on advertising campaigns to convince people to support it. The contradiction may create internal unrest in the viewer, and they decide to go along with the narrative.
Extensive advertising to all age groups gives the impression that everyone needs to be included. In reality, this increases the misleading reach, which does not reflect the actual engagement of the target audience and wastes money.
The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany used similar mass influence techniques to mobilize people under state control. Many authoritarian regimes employ a similar approach, using social media to direct the public and suppress resistance.
KRA campaigns exemplify how mass influence techniques and poor strategic decisions can lead to wasted money and loss of trust. History shows that similar tactics can be easily abused.
Sources:
- Meta Ad Library. Defense Resources Agency
- Meta Ad Library. Sõdurileht
- Google Ads Transparency Center. Defense Resources Agency
- Prof. Qualls. Mass violence in the Soviet Union and Germany
- Wikipedia. Comparison of Nazism and Stalinism
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