RELEASE OF NEW MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COM
Date Signed: 5/27/2008 | ALMARS Number: 009/02
ALMARS : 009/02
R 191545Z FEB 02
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC//CMC//
TO ALMAR
BT
UNCLAS  //N01100//
ALMAR 009/02
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC/CMC//
SUBJ/RELEASE OF NEW MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMERCIAL//
RMKS/1.  FEBRUARY 23RD MARKS A SIGNIFICANT DATE IN AMERICA'S HISTORY.
ON THIS DATE 57 YEARS AGO, MARINES OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH DIVISIONS
CLAIMED THE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA, RAISING AN AMERICAN FLAG ATOP MOUNT
SURIBACHI.  JOE ROSENTHAL'S PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTOGRAPH AND
THE NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL ARE CONTINUAL REMINDERS OF THE GREAT
SACRIFICES MARINES OF ALL GENERATIONS HAVE MADE TO ESTABLISH AND
MAINTAIN AMERICA'S SOVEREIGNTY AND FREEDOM.
2.  THE ANNIVERSARY WILL BE UNIQUE THIS YEAR AS THE MARINE CORPS
LAUNCHES NATION-WIDE ITS NEWEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN -- "THE CLIMB."
THE RELEASE OF THIS COMMERCIAL IS IMPORTANT NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT
COINCIDES WITH THE IWO JIMA ANNIVERSARY, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT MARKS
SEVERAL FIRSTS FOR OUR MOST VISIBLE RECRUITING MESSAGE.
3.  FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS THE HERO OF THE
COMMERCIAL IS AN ENLISTED MARINE.  THIS DID NOT HAPPEN BY CHANCE,
BUT RATHER BY DESIGN.  FROM THE CLOSING BATTLES IN WORLD WAR II TO
THE RECENT WAR ON TERRORISM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE
THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO CHOSE TO JOIN OUR CORPS AND WHO
SO ADMIRABLY  REPRESENTED OUR CORPS TO AMERICA.  THESE SAME MARINES
ARE AGGRESSIVELY SEEKING AND RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION OF
WARRIORS TO WEAR THE EAGLE, GLOBE AND ANCHOR.
4.  THIS COMMERCIAL REFLECTS OUR DIVERSITY, NOT ONLY IN THE MISSIONS
AND ROLES WE ARE ASSIGNED IN DEFENDING OUR GREAT NATION, BUT ALSO IN
THE PEOPLE WHO BECOME PART OF THIS FAMILY.  "THE CLIMB" IS A TRIBUTE
TO ALL MARINES, REGARDLESS OF GENDER OR ETHNIC HERITAGE, AND TRULY
REFLECTS THE DIVERSE PEOPLE WHO FORM THE PROUD AND RESPECTED
INSTITUTION OF THE CORPS.  
5.  IMAGES OF OUR HUMANITARIAN, PEACEKEEPING, AND WARFIGHTING
POSTURES ARE CAPTURED IN THIS COMMERCIAL, AS WELL AS OUR NEW COMBAT
UNIFORM THAT IS UNIQUE TO UNITED STATES MARINES.  WHILE THE IMAGES
OF MARINES IN DRESS BLUE UNIFORMS HAVE BEEN RETAINED, IT MARKS THE
FIRST TIME WE HAVE SHOWN THE BUSINESS ATTIRE OF OUR CORPS  -- THE
MARINE COMBAT UNIFORM.
6.  CAREFUL RESEARCH AND CONSIDERATION WAS USED TO CRAFT A
COMMERCIAL THAT PORTRAYS THE MARINE CORPS' IMAGE OF THE SMART, TOUGH,
ELITE WARRIOR TO OUR TARGET AUDIENCE, WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING
THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US.  AS
IN PREVIOUS COMMERCIALS, METAPHORS AND SYMBOLISM ARE USED TO
TRANSLATE THE  CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES PERCEIVED BY OUR PROSPECT
MARKET INTO POSITIVE, GOAL-ORIENTED SUCCESSES OF BECOMING A MARINE.
ADDITIONALLY, THIS COMMERCIAL DOES NOT MAKE REFERENCE TO A SPECIFIC
FOE OR ENEMY LIKE PREVIOUS COMMERCIALS.  THE CLIMB REPRESENTS
THE BATTLE WE ALL MUST WAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND
REMAIN TRUE TO OUR  CORE VALUES -- HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT.
7.  I AM CERTAIN THIS NEW COMMERCIAL WILL SHARE THE SAME SUCCESS OUR
PREVIOUS CAMPAIGNS HAVE ATTAINED, BUT NO MATTER HOW DYNAMIC OR
CREATIVE OUR RECRUITING COMMERCIAL IS, THE INDIVIDUAL MARINE REMAINS
OUR MOST VITAL ASSET IN THE FIGHT TO FIND THE NEXT GENERATION TO FILL
OUR RANKS.  EACH MARINE, PAST AND PRESENT, MUST TELL THE MARINE CORPS
STORY AND COMMUNICATE TO THE YOUNG GENERATION  OF AMERICANS WHO WILL
VIEW THIS COMMERCIAL THAT, WHILE OUR RITE OF PASSAGE IS CHALLENGING,
THE REWARDS ARE GREAT.
8.  SEMPER FIDELIS, J. L. JONES, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS,
COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//
BT