“Greetings, fellow Americans. I’m Stephen Colbert. You may not know it, but right now, there are forces at work around the world planning to take down the country we hold so dearly. That’s right- I’m talking about bears. If you join the CIA, you can help our country fight these godless killing machines where they live. Oh, and I guess you can help stop terrorists, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.”
I don’t think the CIA, an esteemed local institution, could afford TV ads: http://www.cia.edu/
A good friend from college joined Uncle Sam’s CIA. Due to on-campus protests at the time, he had to be whisked to a nearby hotel for his job interview after being given a codephrase and a rendezvous, and sworn to secrecy. I always thought it was a great way to start a career with The Company - and he’s still there.