Description:

Brief and Context

For 18–24yr olds, the idea of a military career often jarred. They didn’t see a place for themselves in NZDF. It represented a loss of identity. A place where they wouldn’t belong. Fuelled by Hollywood, their parents, and assumptions.

And post-pandemic, more than ever, rangatahi are searching for connection.

Reality is, NZDF can help them forge bonds like nowhere else. We needed to show that the connection our audience was seeking could be found there in spades.

The Idea

CODEWORDS: unexpected words that unlock the deepest of mateships in NZDF.

We showcased the strength of bonds in NZDF, by feeding pairs of mates a word only they would recognise live on camera – sparking real, emotional, funny, epic shared stories.

The 15 CODEWORDS were then teased to our audience across OOH, Tik Tok, Cinema and VOD to discover their unexpected origins. Wrapped in a vertical first campaign fit for how our audience consume content, CODEWORDS gave our audience an unfiltered insight into the depth of connection that life in NZDF could offer – and the extraordinary experiences that forged them.

Execution

Our audience lives on their phone, so CODEWORDS was shot for vertical. An off-white panel became a frame for our stories – referential of the social world. The military environment became the border, framing the context of each story. Photography references the street-fashion world, keeping our talent heroic, yet relaxed. Styling broke military convention: rolling sleeves; ditching caps; shaking the stiffness of uniforms. Casual poses told the story of connection.

Typography is contemporary, heroing each CODEWORD and QR code ­– a call-to-action that trusted our audience’s savviness to scan for more.

We found 13 pairs (and one trio) of mates – who’d grown to form the deepest bonds of their lives. We pre-interviewed them to uncover a single word that unlocked their story. Then filmed them live as they were fed their CODEWORD – capturing all the banter, emotion, and authentic connection it sparked.

Solution and Impact

We stepped away from traditional recruitment advertising, focusing on how our audience consumes content:

Intrigue:
Our first phase teased our CODEWORDS. Bite-sized TikTok teasers got viewers tapping. Cryptic OOH got them scanning. Embracing dual-screening, scannable cinema and VOD spots were gamified to getting people scanning to discover the story.

Deep dives:
Our audience deep dives when the content is relatable and relevant. Tapping or scanning led them straight to each story, housed on a bespoke mobi-first site that fed more stories, while letting us capture leads.

Results:
· Highest ever Tik Tok engagement for a government campaign: 1,300% above benchmark
· 9.11% CTR
· Registrations: +66%
· Web conversion rate: +99%
· Average time on site for engaged viewers: 7.5mins

Sustainability and Responsibility

Diversity is at the centre of the work. CODEWORDS celebrates connections of every form – across culture, gender and beliefs. Māori and Tongan CODEWORDS were left without English translations, authentically connecting with the audience.