The Cost-Effectiveness of Military Advertising

Evidence from 2002-2004

James N. Dertouzos

ResearchPublished Feb 27, 2009

The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps together spent more than $600 million on recruiting advertising in 2007, a 150 percent increase over that spent in 1999. The armed services are also spending more on Internet and cable TV advertising than in the past. Does this advertising produce enlistments? This documented briefing presents the results of an econometric analysis that used data from 2002 to 2004 to explore this and the following questions: How does advertising compare with such alternatives as offering bonuses or adding more recruiters? Which service's advertising efforts are most effective? Does this depend on the size or mix of the budget? Finally, what are the inter-service effects — have the increases in advertising spending by the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps harmed the Army's recruiting efforts? Dertouzos discusses these issues and their implications for military recruiting policy.

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Dertouzos, James N., The Cost-Effectiveness of Military Advertising: Evidence from 2002-2004. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2009. https://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/DB565.html.
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The research described in this report was prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the OSD, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.

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