The US Army is introducing its latest extension of “Army Strong” through its newest advertising campaign, “Symbol of Strength.”
The campaign will begin to roll out on television May 30, 2011; Memorial Day. It consists of three new national broadcast television spots and will integrate a strong cinema activation, public relations, social media and an interactive web presence.
“Our new ‘Symbol of Strength’ campaign highlights the ultimate benefit of becoming a Soldier – the unique and incomparable strength inherent in every one of us serving,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commanding general of U.S. Army Accessions Command. “When you put on the Army uniform, you learn how to strengthen your own life, whether it’s through a strong education, participating in new opportunities that are only accessible to those serving in the Army, or leading missions that will make a difference to you or to others.”
“This new advertising campaign provides a way for the Army to speak directly to our target audience,” said Bruce Jasurda, chief marketing officer for U.S. Army Accessions Command. “We are taking steps to connect our potential recruits with current Soldiers, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube or armystrongstories.com, where Soldiers are invited to blog about their day-to-day life in the Army.”
“Participants will be able to view Soldier stories and post questions to Soldiers in the field,” Jasurda explained. “There is no better way to learn about the opportunities, education and leadership training that the Army provides than hearing it straight from those who already wear the uniform.”
The three television spots each feature a different aspect of serving as a Soldier – education, leadership and opportunities – and encourage young adults to go online to discover more about the strength gained by wearing the uniform.
“Education” demonstrates the depth and breadth of education and learning opportunities as part of a global classroom that is the Army.
“Opportunity” illustrates the excitement of the many unexpected opportunities Soldiers have access to in the Army.
“Leadership” showcases Soldiers as leaders enhancing not just their own lives but the lives of others. To view the three spots, go to www.youtube.com/goarmyvideos.
Another unique aspect of the overall campaign is a five-week cinema activation, from May 20 to June 23, leading up to the summer premiere of X-Men: First Class.
This integrated video is showing in National CineMedia’s First Look pre-feature program in more than 700 movie theaters across the country. It depicts how Soldiers and characters from the movie X-Men start out as ordinary people who then move on to do extraordinary things.
At the end of the segment, viewers are directed to www.facebook.com/goarmy where they can learn about becoming Army Strong and see exclusive X-Men movie content before its release.
The television spots will drive viewers to www.goarmy.com where they can connect with Soldiers and create personal connections with those already serving.
McCann Worldgroup, the Army’s marketing agency of record, produced the fully integrated advertising campaign.
The U.S. Army Accessions Command, which is a subordinate command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, meets the human resource needs of the Army by transforming volunteers into officers, warrant officers and enlisted Soldiers.
In providing the force, the 18,391 men and women of Accessions Command prepare these future Soldiers and leaders for their initial military training. Commanded by Freakley, the command is located at Fort Knox, Ky.
