The British Army is sending out video clips of an expedition to the peak of Mount Everest, as part of a trend to use technology to attract recruits.

The expedition marks the 30th anniversary of two soldiers having reached the highest point on Earth. The latest effort is via a more difficult route. Apart from its role as a training exercise, the Army will also raise money for research into cystic fibrosis. The expedition is featuring in an television campaign for recruitment.

The Army is using Forbidden Technology’s FORscene viewing tool to provide mobile updates of the expedition onto the mobile phones of interested parties and potential recruits. Viewers will also receive a text message alert when another video is ready for downloading.
“This expedition is an amazing feat for the Army, and publishing video updates onto peoples’ mobile phones is a great way to publicise the event,” said Forbidden Technologies chief executive Stephen Streater.

Recruitment firms are increasingly becoming targets of new multimedia technology.
The campaign is the latest attempt to boost recruitment levels. The total Army intake fell by nearly one third between 2002 and 2005 to 11,600, according to the Ministry of Defence’s annual report.

Also recently launched in the market is a voice message product from Concert Networks. The pre-recorded message can be sent out to as many candidates as required. If the candidate shows interest, then the call is diverted through to the recruitment agency that sent out the message.