U.S. Navy is recruiting submariners with a puzzle game on Reddit

The U.S. Navy has been holding a sub-hunt on Reddit, an interactive marketing campaign that will run through October. The multimedia ad was dubbed “Sub Reddit Hunt,” a nod to the tens of thousands of communities on the site known as subreddits. The campaign encourages Reddit users to decipher codes, search for clues and analyze images and sounds that will lead them to more clues they need to complete the game. The Reddit-wide role-playing game is a way for the U.S. Navy to market to the “next generation of submariners,” according to an announcement from VML, the agency behind the campaign. “To ensure we attract the very best and brightest future sailors, including submariners, the Navy is constantly seeking innovative ways to interact with prospective candidates on … social and digital platforms,” said Rear Admiral James P. Waters, commander of Navy Recruiting Command, in the announcement. The campaign is likely to appeal to people with penchants for puzzles, asking them to click on clues to un-redact messages and determine the answers to the Navy’s riddles. The clues will lead Redditors to posts left by the Navy, which contain more clues. With each clue solved, the participant is encouraged to direct message the U.S. Navy with the answers. There are five “directives” participants must complete. For instance, one clue will be an audio message, which will contain a hidden meaning. Another directive includes poring over a high-pixel image for secret answers. The effort launched this week with a video that sets the tone of the campaign, resembling a mission launch out of a spy movie. Reddit is sometimes known for highly immersive, bespoke ad campaigns that use the native tools of the platform. However, it also has more traditional ad units with sponsored posts within subreddits, shopping ads and in-feed video ads. In March, Reddit launched its initial public offering, when it also revealed ad revenue of $476 million in the first six months of 2024, up from $340 million in the first six months of 2023. The U.S. Navy has been an advertiser on the site since 2018, according to VML. The Navy’s Reddit strategy has evolved over the years to develop a voice and style that is distinct to users of the site, according to a VML spokesperson. The Navy adjusted the language it uses in its marketing to be more relatable on Reddit, and it has hosted “Ask Me Anything” sessions during tentpole times of the year, such as on May 4, the “May the Fourth” Star Wars day. The new decoder game is a more immersive and interactive campaign compared to previous efforts, and “it asks Redditors to go deeper than ever before to solve a problem and learn about the Navy,” according to a VML spokesperson. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

U.S. Navy is recruiting submariners with a puzzle game on Reddit

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