This NRA recruitment campaign sells it as a paramilitary group

Well, this is pretty creepy. The American National Rifle Association seems to really believe that gun-toting citizens are the only thing standing between order and anarchy:



It looks more like a military recruitment campaign than advocacy for gun enthusiasts, and that's on purpose. NRA President Wayne LaPierre likes to say that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun" and believes that civilians with military-grade weapons can stop violent crime.

And apparently, according to their videos, bring an end to lying, cheating, indifference and general unAmericanism:



Although the weirdest one, for me, is this explanation that the solution to anger, road rage, and everyday violence is to give everyone a gun:



Americans have the right to bear arms specifically so that they can raise a citizen militia to remove corrupt governments. However, these ads make it seem as if an armed revolution against society's ills in imminent.

Degree does one of the finest tributes to veterans ever #truepatriotlove

Forget stupid Axe ads. Move over, Old Spice. This is how it's done, people.

Toronto's Ariad Communications created this heartfelt and powerful look into the lives of Canadian military veterans who were badly wounded on duty, but through pure willpower manage to train for Tough Mudder Toronto — "probably the toughest event on the planet":



The campaign isn't just feel good, it does good: The Degree team is competing to raise money for the True Patriot Love Foundation in support of Canadian veterans and their families.

Thanks to Creative Criminals for the tip.

Telling women to send their boyfriends and sons to war

These posters are part of a series featured on Retronaut. At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, enlistment in the UK was still completely voluntary. Contrary to the accepted myth that every man was lining up to fight, the British Army actually had a hard time getting its numbers up. By 1916, conscription was enacted to compel service.

The US Navy launches one of the world's worst anti-drug campaigns

Business Insider writes, "The U.S. Navy produced this public service announcement warning recruits against using bath salts for all the obvious reasons -- vomiting, paranoia, brain swelling and violent behavior. Plus, you might see demons!"



Sort-of-cool Exorcist references aside, it commits many of the cardinal sins of drug awareness social marketing: It overstates the danger (showing a first-time use as immediately deadly); it's laughably cheesy; and it ends with a big lecture from "the man".

"Bath salts" are a nickname for a family of designer drugs typically containing substituted cathinones. According to Wikipedia, they have effects similar to meth and cocaine.

Not that that's a good thing. But these drugs are in widespread use among youth. When you only show the worst-case scenario for a recreational drug, you risk losing all credibility with any new user who experiences a good trip — or even knows someone who has had a few.

Fleshlight giving Memorial Day military discounts #FdAdFriday

From their promoted post on Buzzfeed:

Fleshlight announced their Memorial Day sale promotion today. If you are a civilian, you get 15% Off your entire order. If you spend more than $100, you get a free bottle of the ever so appropriate Gun Oil. 

But the true deal lies in the arms of our military. You can get a full 25% Off if you are a service member. That's right, if you sport the camo, you just got setup with some sweet battlefield pussy. I'm guessing you probably have to have an APO address to ship or bill to in order to qualify.

I guess it makes sense to give men-at-arms a masturbation device to combat their loneliness. But that video is weird.

Bunny Girls vs. Horse Men

This Playboy ad (via Copyranter) uses an old group photo trick that coincidentally (?) has an ancestor circulating on Reddit, Tumblr and Buzzfeed right now:

Weird. Have any other examples to share?

F'd Ad Fridays: Unintentionally fabulous vintage navy recruitment poster

This example is from a great post on Sociological Images, which points out, "Only after an active gay liberation movement made homosexuality more visible did people actually start to look for [the stereotypes] in people they knew."

Or did the ad artist play a big joke on all of us? After all, it is an ad asking men to go down for seamen...

So bad, it's good? Or just so bad?

The Telegraph reports that the following ad was withdrawn by the Austrian Military by order of the country's Defence Minister:



Another YouTube poster (and apparent fan of Mafia Wars), gives this rough translation:

Audi Driver: hey Girls, wanna go for a spin in my fast ride?
Girls: ehh not sure, there's not even enough space for all of us
Soldier: wazzup girls, in the mood for a joyride?
Girls: *yaaaaay*
Soldier: join the army if you wanna drive a tank
Soldier2: jump in, starting engine
Audi Driver: hey, what about the spin?
Girl: forget it, I want to drive something big
Narrator: the Austrian Armed Forces offer unique opportunities for young people who are at least 18 — everything else is just everyday life

Low-budget production, apparently amateur acting, vehicular penis envy, and downblouse shots... What's not to love?

According to Judith Goetz of the Austrian Students' Union, quite a bit:

"The video is trashy and an embarrassment... It is totally archaic to show such an obviously sexist video at a time when women are already part of the Austrian military."

Indeed, the commercial is offensive — in many ways. It appears to insult the intelligence of young men as well as women.

But is that what they were intending all along? One of the inevitable downfalls of aging is that younger people stop making sense. Not to mention that humour rarely translates well (especially from German or Japanese!) What I'd really like to know is what the average Austrian 18-year-old thought about this ad.

Col Johann Millonig, from the Austrian army's marketing department, claims this ad is "so dorky it's brilliant".

I'll leave that up to you to decide.