1ST MARINE COPRS DISTRICT, PITTSBURGH,PA. -- Marines from Recruiting Station Pittsburgh recently visited an Altoona, PA-based advertising company responsible for posting more than 60 Marine Corps Billboards for free Dec., 13. Morgan Outdoor Media placed the billboards throughout Central Pennsylvania over the past nine months to help support the Marine Corps’ “For Country” advertising campaign and to show service members and their families that they were important to their community.
While there, Maj. Michael D. Sherman, commanding officer, Recruiting Station Pittsburgh, awarded the President of the company, as well as their posting manger and traffic manager with personalized plaques. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Cpl. Sidney D. Shanfield, Recruiter, Permanent Contact Station Altoona, Cpl. Justin D. Step, infantryman, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines and an Altoona native, as well as media from Central Pennsylvania.
The “For Country” billboards are part of Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s most recent Public Service Announcement campaign and have already had a positive effect on Marine recruiting, according to Ryan M. Cunha, account representative at the Marine Corps’ New York-based advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson. “Throughout the past fiscal year the [First Marine Corps Recruiting District] filled orders for 1,100 billboards ordered by various companies who wanted to display them.
Cunha attributes the powerful message of the “For Country” campaign to its call to service-type message that differs slightly from the Marine Corps’ National advertisement, which communicates more of a transformational recruiting message.
Even though these billboards have recruiting undertones, they were created to thank both Marines both past and present for their service.
“We have more than 150 Marines currently serving from the Altoona area,” said Shanfield, who also hails from Altoona. “I think it’s really great that when they visit their hometown they’ll now have the opportunity to see these billboards and know that we still care about them.”