US Marine Corps: Squad Bay App by JWT Atlanta

JWT Atlanta and the Marine Corps Recruiting Command have launched a new cell phone app, designed to help people who have recently committed to becoming Marines get ready for the rigors of Recruit Training and Officer Candidates School.

The 'USMC Squad Bay,' is available to individuals who have already signed up to become a Marine but have not yet left for their entry-level training. The App features physical training plans, Marine Corps history and trivia, study guides, a resource library and more.

The USMC Squad Bay app was developed to help poolees and officer candidates prepare both physically and mentally to excel during their initial phases of training. One of the ways it does so is by generating a custom workout plan designed around the date a user is scheduled to ship to training. Once a user begins their workout plan and starts taking Physical Fitness Tests with others from their recruiting office, they can compete on local leaderboards within the app to see how they stack up against their peers.

"For years, the important information new recruits need to prepare for their initial training was shared through printed 'Welcome Aboard Kits' which were costly and lacked interactivity," said Lt. Col. Christian Devine, marketing and communication lead at the Marine Corps Recruiting Command. "Now that most of our recruits and candidates are in the digital space, we wanted to communicate with them there, using a tool that would help them plan workouts and learn foundational information about the Marine Corps so they will be better prepared to succeed in training. Right now the app can track their progress in both physical and mental challenges and recruits can compare themselves to their peers via a digital leaderboard. We plan to roll out new features over time, eventually enabling a two-way communication functionality recruiters and their recruits can use to ask questions, share information or organize meetings. The Squad Bay app will modernize the way we ensure our recruits are well-informed and physically ready while reducing waste and cost."

The app was designed to complement existing recruiting practices in the digital era. The app will evolve as new features and functionality are added to meet the needs of recruiters and recruits alike. USMC Squad Bay is free in the app store.