US Creative Work of the Week: US Air Force recruits women pilots by highlighting its own
The US Air Force used International Women’s Day to make a case for more women to join its ranks by showing off its current batch of pilots along with those women who pioneered the space.
“Every superhero has an origin story,” states a voiceover in the campaign film, ‘Origin Story’ that showcases the inspiring and powerful female pilots that make up the US Air Force. It proudly emphasizes the “women power” that exists within the Air Force by saying it can turn anyone into a hero – just like the empowering theme of the Captain Marvel movie, which features a woman pilot as the title character.
The voiceover in the spot continues: “We all got our start somewhere, for us it was the US Air Force.” It wraps up with a caption asking “What will your origin story be?” and ends with the familiar tagline “Aim High.”
The campaign, done in partnership with GSD&M, also looks at the real-life first female fighter pilot in the Air Force, brigadier general Jeannie Leavitt, who currently serves as commander of Air Force recruiting service. She helped to spearhead the 30-second spot after seeing the opportunity to inspire more female recruits.
Leavitt brought together a group of 80-plus female pilots, from generals down through almost every rank – second lieutenants and first assignment instructor pilots, fresh out of the pilot training pipeline. All the pilots were filmed in a single day and their stories told on a dedicated webpage.
For its inspiring stories of women pilots, along with its smart use of pop culture and real life tales, The Drum’s readers voted it the US Creative Work of the Week by a vertical mile.
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