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Army Strong campaign attracts recruits in many ways

By Lt. Col. Wayne M. Shanks
October 20, 2006

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 20, 2006) – The new "Army Strong" recruiting ad campaign kicks off in early November. The Army’s recruiting advertising contract, managed by McCann Worldgroup, commits up to $200 million in 2007 to market the Army to potential recruits.

The contract covers the full range of marketing efforts to include ad development and the purchase of time and space for television, radio, print and online ads.

This price tag represents a significant investment, but by way of perspective, the Army’s $200 million is not large enough to rank in the Top 100 U.S. marketers. According to industry publications, Advertising Age and Adweek, the world’s largest companies spend much more on advertising. For example, Procter & Gamble spends about $4.6 billion annually on advertising and promotion alone. Similarly, Walt Disney spends nearly $2 billion on advertising and promotion, while Target and J.C. Penney each spend more than $1 billion.

The Army’s marketing campaign is a continuous effort that helps connect America to America’s Army and its Soldiers who demonstrate what it means to be Army Strong. The advertising campaign is one important component of this recruiting effort.

“The Army is fighting a tough recruiting battle and must do all it can to make the U.S. Army message distinctive and powerful, and then deliver that message in ways that reach eligible recruits and those who care about them,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, commander of U.S. Army Accessions Command. “The Army Strong campaign aims to demonstrate the value of Army service and being a Soldier.”

The advertising contract reaches out to prospective recruits by supporting recruiting efforts in local communities as well as through direct mail and marketing, public relations and community events. It also funds the Army’s extensive online presence at goarmy.com and other Web-based activities.

The contract also funds national sponsorships that help to drive awareness and interaction with the Army, such as sponsored drivers with NASCAR and NHRA, and sponsored athletes who compete as professional bull riders, cowboys, and in arena football.

These efforts attract individuals to active and reserve components, to the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and to special missions such as the medical and legal professionals, and chaplains.

The Army currently faces a unique recruiting environment given that the nation is at war. Each year, the Army must recruit more new Soldiers than all the other military services combined. Only three out of every 10 people in the U.S. meet the Army’s high standards that qualify them to enlist. This 30 percent is the same group being recruited by other services as well as civilian corporations at a time when the unemployment rate in the U.S. is relatively low.