American Defense Technology Company Leans into Out-of-Home Media for “Don’t Work” Recruitment Campaign

Don’t work at Anduril.

These words create a bit of intrigue, right? They certainly are unexpected, especially for a campaign looking to attract new talent for developing defense technology. But when a brand is willing to challenge the general public to examine the text and read between the lines, this is what creates a powerful out-of-home campaign.

Defense technology company Anduril Industries is in search of the best and brightest, those who are built differently, with their new recruitment campaign. The campaign targets graduating students and experienced tech professionals in key markets for the company: Atlanta, Boston, and Seattle.

The ads only have a few words on them. The formatting styles of the text is what provokes the viewer.

Initially, the standard text "Work at Anduril.com" is posted. Then, the word "Don't" is spray-painted, creating the appearance of vandalism or graffiti. This use of graffiti, an art style that appears in public spaces without permission, sets a playful tone. Curiosity is piqued, viewers begin to wonder if they know who or what Anduril is and whether it's a place they'd want to work.

Jeff Miller, VP of Marketing shared, “Our “Don’t Work” campaign brings to life one of the core differentiators of Anduril’s culture: the collective buy-in to hard, mission-driven work. Anduril is not for everybody, that’s the point.”

The video featured shows a handpainted mural with text and graffiti applied. The text for each out-of-home ad is not the same, but the graffiti approach is consistent throughout all placements.

Media strategy leaned heavily on Points of Interest (POI). Within each market, colleges, universities, and tech companies were emphasized to ensure the message would reach the desired audiences. 

All markets activated Ultra Super Kings (USKs), large ads that appear on the side of buses, to add frequency as bus routes cover a significant amount of ground and provide a ton of impressions. Nuance guided additional formats selected for each market. 

For Atlanta, the focus was on reaching Georgia Tech students and the surrounding area. Billboards were activated in close proximity to campus along with full-motion, interactive kiosks. 

For Boston, understanding the density of colleges and universities within the market, Harvard and MIT were the focal points of the campaign. Subway stations and subway transit routes were activated to reach commuters and the general public. The Red Line was selected as not only does it reach Harvard and MIT, but additional schools along the route. To create an immersive moment, a dominating takeover of South Station’s upper concourse was selected for the media plan. This is a 100% Share of Voice for Anduril and a “wow” factor. Rounding this out, wildpostings were positioned in key areas near these target campus areas to showcase more of the creative vision, with the graffiti elements “pre-tagged” as yet another surprise element. 

For Seattle, locations near tech headquarters and downtown were prioritized. A large wallscape can be found in the iconic Pike Place neighborhood, and another wallscape in South Lake Union was selected due to its proximity to Amazon headquarters.

While Anduril and PJX Media have collaborated on previous out-of-home campaigns, this was the first to use such thought-provoking ads. 

“We challenged our world-class Design Team to craft a bold creative platform that makes people question if this campaign is for or against Anduril. Meanwhile, PJX nailed the media strategy securing high-traffic placements near target universities and tech companies that represent important recruiting pipelines,” said Miller. 

With intentional media planning, combined with engaging creative, the campaign resonates with the immediate viewer. With high potential for resharing via social media, the campaign could garner additional impressions online. 

But more importantly, this unconventional approach should attract the talent Anduril is looking for: smart and serious applicants who understand Anduril’s brand ethos.

The campaign, which launched mid-February 2025, will be live until mid-March 2025.