Freeze: Most Entertaining Recruitment Video

Read the campaign story

New Zealand Police's 2017 recruitment film used a fast-moving, comic presentation to show different aspects of police work. Contemporary November reporting describes a short film with officers, a pipe band and a uniformed cat among its memorable elements. The official recruitment site retains the film under its Freeze title. The claim that it was the most entertaining recruitment video was part of the campaign's own framing, not an independently established ranking.

The film was intended to attract a broader range of applicants, with contemporary reporting identifying younger adults, women and people from different backgrounds among the audiences. Cinema, television and outdoor placements were also reported. The execution therefore combined an online-friendly film with a wider recruitment campaign. Entertainment provided the entry point, while the underlying invitation was to consider a real occupation with specific requirements and responsibilities.

The creative mechanism was to make an institution feel approachable without presenting every role in the same solemn register. Humor can help a viewer imagine belonging somewhere that previously felt remote. Showing varied people and activities can also challenge a narrow mental picture of a job. Neither effect should be confused with proof that the organization is universally welcoming or that an appealing film accurately represents every working day.

For a smaller employer, the transferable method is to let consenting employees explain the range of work in a concise, human way. A modest film could show three real tasks and answer common questions about the role. Comedy should not hide difficult conditions, eligibility rules or the consequences of the work. The recruitment page that follows the film needs accurate information about pay, training, selection and support.

The opened sources establish the film's existence, timing and reported distribution, not a causal improvement in hiring quality or workforce representation. Views are especially incomplete as a recruitment measure because many viewers may never be eligible or interested in applying. An adaptation should assess whether qualified people understand the role better and can find the next step, while preserving fair selection processes and avoiding assumptions about individuals based on their background.

Show the actual range of work

Specific tasks help challenge an overly narrow picture of a role.

Keep the job information honest

Entertainment should lead to accurate conditions and requirements.

Measure relevant consideration

Broad viewing does not establish qualified applications or fair hiring.

A small test for another brief

Make a short, factual introduction to one open adult role.

Measure role comprehension and ability to locate accurate information.

Stop if the film obscures conditions or encourages discriminatory selection.

• Ask consenting employees to identify three representative tasks.
• Include both appealing and demanding aspects of the work.
• Link the film to current requirements and a fair application process.