May the force be with you

By VIKKI BLAND

Virtual Viv has long, lithe limbs and great breasts and wears a combat singlet to show off her gym-sculpted arms.

She fearlessly abseils around the inside of your television screen, challenging you to do 10 press-ups between ads.

With a kick-ass attitude and enough sex appeal to give actress Angelina Jolie a run for her money, Virtual Viv is today's poster girl for the New Zealand Army.

But does she represent the real nature of New Zealand soldiering or does she show virtually nothing of it?

This journalist spent four years soldiering and remembers being cold, wet, blistered and bone tired; eating dried food and wearing heavy woollen clothing; being deliberately humiliated; and bowing to discipline, lots of it.

Of course, the military has another side; one that delivers a sense of family, duty, teamwork and pride.

But Virtual Viv doesn't seem to represent these attributes either. So exactly why has Viv been commissioned?

Major Vivienne Shaw, recruitment officer for the New Zealand Army, says her namesake was created to grab the attention of people aged 13 to 18 - a notoriously difficult market to reach. Virtual Viv's mission, says Shaw, is to depict the New Zealand Army as the modern, well-equipped place of excitement and challenge it considers itself to be.

While Virtual Viv causes some dissension in the ranks - "the military stuff has been removed and some of the military don't like that" says Shaw - every time she makes an appearance the Army fields hundreds of calls from interested young people.

Surprisingly, given the sexual stereotyping of the character, the campaign has also been responsible for an 8 per cent increase in the number of women enquiring about Army careers.

Shaw says military recruiters have to be proactive and innovative in the face of low unemployment and a strong job market. "We can't afford to sit around and wait for people to sign up on family tradition. Young people want to be communicated with directly."

When the Army researched re-branding, Shaw says it found young people couldn't see themselves soldiering because of media stereotypes.

"Hollywood portrays the military as a place of yelling and discipline. We needed a campaign that said: 'If you like challenge and teamwork, then maybe the military is for you."'

Whether Virtual Viv accurately depicts these challenges is debated not only within the Army but among other military forces.

Lieutenant Commander Phil Bradshaw, recruiting officer for the New Zealand Navy, says while it is "phenomenally" difficult to recruit young people, Virtual Viv is not how the Navy would choose to sell its message.

In stark contrast, the Navy's recruitment campaign draws on historical naval highlights and portrays the modern navy in action.

Bradshaw calls the Navy "the invisible service" because of the largely international nature of its operations.

"Our campaign message is that while we are highly technical, our people matter. We have a proud history and a bright future, and the personal qualities that were important in historical conflicts still hold true today," he says.

Shaw is adamant the Army is not trying to hide the realities of such conflicts or the risks inherent in military life.

"At the end of the day the Army is about peacekeeping and it is about war. No matter what your advertising is, the function of the military never changes."

She says recruitment feedback indicates young people know PlayStation games and virtual realities are not real, and for the few who might not get that, the Army holds introductory talks, conducts tours of its barracks and bases, and sets a physical fitness test.

"We do this because we know people don't understand what life in the Army is like until they try it," says Shaw.

Sue Connolly, squadron leader and director of recruiting for the New Zealand Airforce, says while she'd "rather not" comment on Virtual Viv, increasingly inventive ideas are necessary to attract young people.

"Our approach sits somewhere between the Army's and Navy's.

We use humour along with clips that strongly depict the nature of our operations. We also ask applicants whether they are prepared to be deployed."

Connelly says while recruitment campaigns are designed to attract a target market, careful consideration needs to be given to their impact on internal audiences.

"Any campaign reflects back on them; we hold road shows to ensure internal approval," she says.

Bradshaw agrees. "Recruitment campaigns are image reinforcement. Those already serving need to feel confident about them because there is strong emotional buy in."

Whatever their recruitment methods, all three forces report an increase in inquiries since New Zealand became involved in international hot spots such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Solomons.

And successful applicants are sometimes surprised to find the military is not interested in differences of gender, sexuality or age; anyone with the right stuff has the potential to succeed. Well, virtually anyone.

NZ Army

Navy

Royal New Zealand Air Force