Georgia National Guard to advertise at north Metro Atlanta high schools

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — The Georgia Army National Guard is mounting an advertising effort to increase recruitment and awareness at 67 Georgia public high schools, including some in north Metro Atlanta. Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell, Milton and Johns Creek high schools are among dozens of schools throughout the state whose students will be targeted with location-based advertising.

The National Guard will use geofencing, which serves ads to social media users based on their location data, with the “intent of generating qualified leads of potential applicants for enlistment” from the 17 to 24-yearold demographic, according to contract documents obtained by Appen Media.

In addition to high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates, documents said the campaign will target parents who visit school locations and “centers of influence” at the schools, like coaches and school counselors.

The proposed contract, which closed bidding in February but has not yet been publicly awarded, stipulates concentrating on a 1-mile radius around each school through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and others. The infamous video-sharing social network, TikTok, which is banned for official United States Department of Defense use, will not be included in the campaign, despite its enormous popularity among young people.

Other schools included in the advertising campaign include

Cambridge High School in Milton and Centennial High School in Roswell. However, within a mile radius of nearly all the schools listed, there are middle and elementary schools that could also be targeted.

An Associated Press report from February said the U.S. Army fell about 15,000 soldiers, or 25 percent short of its recruitment goals in 2022. Officials said this may be due to a declining perception of army life among young people.

Army officials told the Associated Press that, based on information gathered through surveys, they believe young people do not see the Army as a safe place or a good career path, as previous generations might have.

Representatives from the Georgia Army National Guard could not be reached for comment on the advertising campaign.

In an email to Appen Media, Fulton County Schools Media Relations Manager Anne Boatwright said the school system is not involved with the Georgia National Guard’s advertising plans but does supply student directory information to aid in military recruitment, as required by Georgia law.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, local schools are required to release the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of high school students when requested by military recruiters, unless students or parents request that the information not be made available.

Attempts to reach representatives at the DeKalb County School System for comment were unsuccessful.

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