New Zealand Police have just released another big-budget recruitment video, with hopes the humorous three-minute Q&A can replicate the success of last year's viral offering.
Dubbed "Breaking News", the $480,000 ad poses and answers a variety of common - and not so common -- questions potential police recruits may have.
"I wonder if I can have tattoo," a shirtless man with a mullet asks at one point in the video as he sits with officers in a tattoo shop.
"Absolutely, but ones on your hands and face would have to be assessed," one of the officers answers.
The curious recruit follows up, "What about my hands and face on my back?" as the camera pans on a portrait of himself in the process of getting inked over his shoulder blade.
The video, released on Facebook, has been watched more than a million times since it was released yesterday.
The ad, laden with Kiwi humour and featuring cameos by numerous Kiwi actors and comedians, is a follow up to 2017's $350,000 ad dubbed "the world's most entertaining police recruitment video".
The 2017 video has been viewed more than 6 million times and shared more than 76,000 times on the NZ Police Recruitment Facebook page alone since last November. It has also been reposted and reported on by numerous media organisations around the world.
Police estimate the 2017 video resulted in about 2500 extra applicants last year, which will result in 200 to 300 additional constabulary employees. Some of them are still working through the recruitment process, police said.
The video has had nearly 2 million views online already.
The 2018 offering, which ended up more costing more than $100,000 more to make than last year's video, will take up more than a third of NZ Police's $1.25 million recruitment marketing budget for the 2017/2018 financial year.
"We want to better reflect the communities we serve and this means attracting new staff from all backgrounds," Police Commissioner Mike Bush said of the video in a press statement.
"We're confident (the new ad) will mean more people sign up to join our fantastic organisation."
Police have simultaneously released a new web platform , called ChatCops, dedicated to answering additional questions the public might have about the recruitment process.
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