CommunityEditor
03-14-2008, 06:12 PM
Lawmakers took aim at the Air Force’s new “Above All” ad campaign, questioning whether the TV, print and online ads are an illegal attempt to lobby Congress.
Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said the ads “appeared to be the kinds of ads that an advocacy groups would run.”
The $81 million campaign, which debuted Feb. 24, seeks to inform the public about the Air Force’s contributions to national defense rather than explicitly calling for recruits to enlist.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley denied the ads are a lobbying campaign and said they are intended as a recruiting tool.
“We’ve had a couple questions from the [congressional] staff who had referenced that we were attempting to lobby the Congress, and, sir, that’s not the case,” Moseley said. We wouldn’t do that because it’s not right. … That would never happen.”
He also pointed out that the ads refer people to airforce.com, which is a recruiting Web site.
Wynne said the ads are intended to reach “influencers” – those who can influence potential recruits – as well as recruits themselves.
“The way we went about this is to really create an image in the press [that] … allows people to essentially influence the smart kids that we’re going to require to keep our high-technology Air Force to come see us and sign up,” Wynne said. “We need to get noticed by the influencers – the coaches, the counselors, the parents of people.”
Moseley also defended the price tag of the campaign, noting that the Air Force has “a fraction of the recruiting or the outreach budget of any of the services.”
Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/airforce_above_all_031508w/
Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said the ads “appeared to be the kinds of ads that an advocacy groups would run.”
The $81 million campaign, which debuted Feb. 24, seeks to inform the public about the Air Force’s contributions to national defense rather than explicitly calling for recruits to enlist.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley denied the ads are a lobbying campaign and said they are intended as a recruiting tool.
“We’ve had a couple questions from the [congressional] staff who had referenced that we were attempting to lobby the Congress, and, sir, that’s not the case,” Moseley said. We wouldn’t do that because it’s not right. … That would never happen.”
He also pointed out that the ads refer people to airforce.com, which is a recruiting Web site.
Wynne said the ads are intended to reach “influencers” – those who can influence potential recruits – as well as recruits themselves.
“The way we went about this is to really create an image in the press [that] … allows people to essentially influence the smart kids that we’re going to require to keep our high-technology Air Force to come see us and sign up,” Wynne said. “We need to get noticed by the influencers – the coaches, the counselors, the parents of people.”
Moseley also defended the price tag of the campaign, noting that the Air Force has “a fraction of the recruiting or the outreach budget of any of the services.”
Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/airforce_above_all_031508w/