U.S. Navy Project Architeuthis

There are hundreds of jobs in the U.S. Navy, some of them requiring a very specific skill set and very limited in their number. To recruit for these positions, we created the alternate reality game Architeuthis. Using no paid media, we enticed tech-savvy, socially-active young people to solve complex cryptographic challenges and discover their inner cryptographer, essentially recruiting themselves.

Project Architeuthis received numerous awards including a Cannes Lion, Grand Prix Warc Prize for Social Strategy, two Gold Effies, Communication Arts Advertising Annual, two Shorty Awards, Webby Award, nine Target Awards, a New York Festivals Award, and the AICP NEXT Award.