Recruiting with Flair!

Recruiting with flair…

So what type of advertisement catches your eye? Is it one with an attractive woman or man? What about the colors they use or the scenery employed by the creator? Could it be just the product that captures your attention or even just the name brand?

This month we look at the use of flair in recruiting. So what is “flair” in regards to recruiting for law enforcement? Flair can be different things to different people. For example, I think of flair as something that gives the advertisement a special sense of style that no other product can give. Take the advertisements currently on the market for Mountain Dew, the “Do the Dew” commercials. The flair those commercials have relates to the new “X” generation, the “I want it now” generation, where information is immediate and up front. The commercials are exciting, fast paced and intense. Another example on the opposite end of the spectrum would be the Webster University commercials, where you hear majestic, regal type music in the background and a very intelligent orator tells you how great it would be for you to obtain your MBA at Webster’s University.

But again, what would be “flair” in a police recruiting environment? Well, for starters, think about the colors of your agency. Let’s say your departmental colors are a dark shade of green and white…then use those colors as the flair for your advertisements. But colors aren’t the only way to increase flair, what about an interesting picture or scenery. A great example of this form of flair would be highlighting your mounted patrol in an advertisement or displaying your Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT). Regardless of the flair you choose, it must be the three “B’s”:

1. Bold
2. Brilliant
3. Bada$$ (yes, that’s right!)

For the flair to be bold, it must stand out above all others in your target range. Therefore, you are competing against other law enforcement agencies and other first responders, so your flair must have a bold approach. As for brilliant, your flair must be bright as the top of the Chrysler Building…it must be so amazing that it catches the eye of the local television stations and even maybe the national scene. Finally, your flair must be bada$$! If you want your department to be something that every well fit young man and woman want to go to then your department must look and be the agency that fits their particular desires…it must be promoted to be the best of the best…the bada$$ agency of the US!

Now go and bring your three “B’s” to life!