Defence Forces spend almost €2m on social media and advertising to boost recruitment

Ken Foxe

The Defence Forces (DF) spent close to €2 million over the past year on social media and advertising to try to drum up interest in a military career.

The DF said €1.91 million had been spent reaching audiences through Facebook, TikTok, outdoor billboards, and even a streaming service popular with video gamers.

A further €71,000 was paid for content creation to be used in a variety of campaigns as the military battles to increase recruitment.

The €1.987 million outlay did yield results, however, with nearly 13,000 people applying to join the enlisted ranks since July last year.

The gender breakdown for those applications was 11,191 men and 1,751 women, or a ratio of about six males for each female.

There were a further 2,203 applications for the officer ranks, the Defence Forces said in response to an FOI request.

These came from 1,895 men and 308 women, a similar gender split of around six to one.

The Defence Forces said their biggest marketing spend was on digital campaigns, where nearly €720,000 was paid out for online channels, including YouTube.

A further €183,000 was spent with Facebook, while €360,691 was paid for billboards and other outdoor advertising.

Around €75,000 was spent on Snapchat, €79,057 on TikTok and just €50,000 on print media as the Defence Forces looked to reach younger age groups.

There was also spending of €23,018 on Twitch, a live-streaming service used mainly by video gamers and for watching esports.

Just over €49,000 was spent on cinema ads, €197,000 for recruitment material on radio, and €179,000 for TV marketing.

The Defence Forces have faced ongoing challenges in recruiting, and official figures from the end of April show the strength of the permanent forces was just 7,500.

That compares with a force of around 9,500 in 2010, with a steady falloff during the past fifteen years, although the figure does now appear to have stabilised.

A spokesman said: “Óglaigh na hÉireann is committed to recruiting the best candidates to serve the state. Our advertising and outreach efforts are a critical part of attracting high-calibre individuals with the values, skills, and commitment required for military service.

“This investment ensures we maintain a strong, capable, professional force ready to meet the needs of the nation and defend our state.”