Recruiting for U.S. Navy Special Operations is no ordinary task. These elite roles—including bomb technicians, rescue swimmers, divers, and combat medics—require rare mental and physical capabilities. But few potential candidates are even aware these jobs exist.
To solve this, the Navy needed to reach a niche audience with the right traits—and do so in a way that felt as elite, demanding, and strategic as the work itself.
That insight led us to water polo athletes—specifically high school and collegiate players with aquatic skill, endurance, and tactical thinking. But the challenge wasn’t just reaching them—it was how. That’s where SkipShot, the official print magazine of USA Water Polo, became mission-critical.
In an era of digital clutter and skippable content, a print magazine offered uninterrupted attention and deep engagement. We embedded Navy Special Operators within the existing ads of seven major brands—Ford, TruGreen, Aflac, and more—creating a challenge that only worked because it was hidden in print.
There was no headline. No call to action. Just a covert mission that unfolded slowly, as the reader turned each page. A final Navy ad on the back cover revealed the challenge in hindsight, sending observant readers back to hunt for what they missed.
This wasn’t just a clever use of print—it was a campaign made possible only through print. The stillness of the page. The ability to linger. The magazine was the medium, the platform, and the puzzle all in one.
PRESS:
“US Navy Hid Special Ops Sailors In Magazine Ads to See If Recruits Could Spot Them” - Ad Age
“Can You Spot the Sailors Hidden In Other Brands’ Ads?” - Muse by Clios