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Advertising agency TBWA\Melbourne will focus on driving up recruitment for the Australian Defence Force under a new advertising contract win.
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TBWA\Melbourne has been appointed as the creative and digital agency partner by the Australian Department of Defence – pushing out incumbent media company VML.
Under the contract, the advertising company will reportedly take charge of all creative communications and digital services output while partnering with tech consulting firm Omnicom’s Credera and working alongside agency CultureVerse to influence multicultural audiences.
“This appointment allows us to bring the best of our offering to the table, for the best of all reasons; driving recruitment for the Australian Defence Force,” TBWA\Melbourne chief executive officer Kimberlee Wells reportedly said.
“We’re excited to harness our deep strategic and creative capability, cutting-edge innovation and cultural intelligence tools to deliver meaningful impact across the total brand experience. We can’t wait to get started.”
Defence Force Recruitment creative and digital account pitches and applications were opened in February this year. The official contract starts in April 2025.
The contract had been previously held by VML since 2019.
“Helping to protect the commonwealth is the honour of a lifetime, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities our partnership with DFR (Defence Force Recruitment) has afforded us and our team,” said VML’s AUNZ chief executive Thomas Tearle in a public statement.
“Working with the Navy, Army, and Air Force, we have learned and experienced so much and have forged enduring professional and personal relationships that will continue long into the future.”
Earlier this year, media outlet the Los Angeles Times reported that the US military had achieved a dramatic turnaround in recruiting trends by reducing applicant rejection rates and broadening the recruiting pool to include more non-citizen residents.
In addition, the outlet speculated that the US Army’s future soldier preparation course, which gave lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness instruction to help them meet military standards, had assisted in significant recruiting gains in the US.
