Thursday, December 7, 2017

Forged By The Sea

Forged By The Sea.

The new Navy slogan. 

Pure marketing bilgewater. 

Yes, it’s probably better than “A Global Force For Good”, which sounded like the Peace Corps, but it’s still worthless.  Why is it worthless?  Because it doesn’t reflect any core value of the Navy.

The Marines used to have this right with their “The Few, The Proud, The Marines”.  That reflected their core belief, and actuality, that they were an elite fighting organization and that ethos not only supplied the slogan but it transcended petty concerns like marketing.  Marketing???  That’s hilarious.  The Marines not only didn’t care whether they appealed to a mass market of recruits, they actively discouraged potential recruits and stated that they didn’t think any potential recruit was good enough or tough enough to be a Marine.  As is true with human nature, the Marine’s very exclusivity and disdain for the average potential recruit ensured that they would attract the best and toughest potential recruits – those who relished a challenge and were determined to prove themselves worthy of being one of the very best.

Of course, sadly, the Marines have now abandoned their core.

The Navy’s new slogan is just a marketing jingle.  It has no underlying meaning or value.  It doesn’t relate to any core Navy value because, frankly, the Navy has no worthwhile core values at this time.  Fat Leonard, surrendering to Iranians, ceding the South China Sea without contest, whining to Congress, lying about the LCS, waiving required basic seamanship certifications – these are the “values” that the Navy espouses now.

It doesn’t matter how brilliant or relatable or catchy or memorable or inspiring the Navy’s new slogan is because it has no meaning.

Ironically, "forged" also means to copy fraudulently or to fake.  Apropos, wouldn't you say?


The Navy hired a marketing firm to develop this slogan and paid a great deal of money for someone to write a slogan for them.  Hey Navy, establish some core values and the slogan will write itself.  Live some core values and you won't have to recruit, the recruits will come to you begging to be allowed in.

12 comments:

  1. Well, slogans have to reflect the catch words of the times

    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/36/88/f7/3688f75f2fe31924ff4e6b2a6827d688--go-navy-navy-mom.jpg

    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/43/16/cd/4316cdb902220fa55bbada465c406e7c--ww-posters-history-posters.jpg

    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/45/c0/a8/45c0a8d866d6a0111a3d97afa1510147--vintage-art-posters-us-navy.jpg

    And of course :))

    https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ab/cc/6e/abcc6e2c76c3229dd7f12193c4b7b35c--vintage-posters-vintage-wood-signs.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Well, slogans have to reflect the catch words of the times"

      If your slogan doesn't reflect your deep core value then you're just trying to sell yourself as a commodity, like a toaster or a bar of soap. You'll attract commodity-like recruits -the kind of people who will surrender to the Iranians without resistance.

      Delete
    2. "Recruits" are being shaped by the training system witch has been developed by others above them.
      And as for the Iranian incident, i am sure under those tactical circumstances, a lot of other people's navies would have done the same.

      Delete
    3. What were the tactical circumstances?

      Delete
    4. Peacetime navigational incident, no need to fire guns. Diplomatically solved a some hours later.

      Delete
    5. You could not be more wrong. You're speaking from hindsight. At the time of the incident, the crews believed they were in international waters. As such, the Iranian seizure was illegal and an act of war. Further, their surrender was a blatant and explicit violation of the U.S. military Code of Conduct.

      Beyond that, there was no reason to believe that Iran would release the crews. Iran has held many prisoners far longer and for far less reason.

      Just out of curiosity, if it was, as you put it, a "peacetime navigational incident" why did the Iranians feel a need to seize the crews? That act was, itself, a violation of the international Innocent Passage procedure.

      No matter how you look at it, the U.S. crews were guilty of cowardice, inept performance, violations of the Code of Conduct, and at least one count of mutiny, among other failings.

      Seriously, you could not be more wrong. Go back and read the posts I presented on the matter. Also, read the Code of Conduct before you reply again.

      Delete
  2. "Si vis pacem, para bellum"
    Royal Navy motto.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the UK is downsizing its military. Not exactly preparing for war!

      Delete
  3. Twenty years ago, while I was in the Navy, it felt like the navy was trying very hard to get rid of the old "sailor" persona. Problem was they weren't sure what the modern sailor is suppose to be. Also felt like they wanted us to be more like the Air Force, but in the Navy environment. Not sure how to describe it.

    MM-13B

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They wanted to be clean, neat, pristine - not rough, crude, and seaman-like. That about what you experienced?

      Delete
    2. Some tasks that have to be done on a ship are rough, crude, and dirty. So they expected us to instantly snap back and forth between the clean, neat, pristine to rough, crude, dirty. Some times we were intelligent and highly-trained professional, and other times we were ignorant enlisted losers who needed to shut up and do as we were told. The Navy is like a confused young lady who can't decide if she wants her man to be a suit and tie business manager or a rebel bad-boy.

      MM-13B

      Delete
    3. True, there was a crackdown on drinking and whoring on liberty, then a crackdown on liberty itself.
      The "zero defects" mentality holds every captain hostage to Seaman Timmy getting drunk and doing something stupid ashore, so it's better Seaman Timmy be never let ashore, or only under strictly controlled conditions.
      "Join the Navy and see the world" was a great slogan for recruiting intelligent and adventurous young people. Unfortunately it's not at all certain you'll be let off your ship in a foreign port much in today's Navy.

      Delete

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