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thedrifter
10-09-06, 02:09 PM
Army Introducing New Slogan
'An Army Of One' Slogan Replaced

POSTED: 2:21 pm EDT October 9, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In its battle to win the hearts and minds of recruiting-age Americans, the Army is replacing its main ad slogan -- "An Army of One" -- with one it hopes will pack more punch: "Army Strong."

The new approach, the fruit of a $200 million-a-year contract with a major advertising agency, was announced Monday by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey. He said "Army Strong" will be the centerpiece of a multimedia ad campaign to be launched Nov. 9, timed to coincide with Veterans Day weekend.

Army officials acknowledge that recruiting during wartime is difficult, particularly with the Iraq war grinding on far longer than Bush administration officials expected and U.S. troops dying in battle almost every day.

"There's no question that we want to have a marketing boost right now, it's important to us," said Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp, who oversees the recruiting effort as commander of U.S. Army Accessions Command.

The Army missed its recruiting target in 2005 by the widest margin in more than two decades, but bounced back this year to reach its goal of signing up 80,000 new soldiers, in part by offering bigger financial incentives, increasing its cadre of recruiters and making more use of Web sites to reach young people. It also has accepted more applicants with lower-tier scores on aptitude tests.

Van Antwerp acknowledged that negative news from Iraq "is a factor" that can inhibit young people from joining the Army, but he said the advertising campaign will not gloss over the risks of war. More than 2,700 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003.

"Every recruiter will tell you, there is a very strong likelihood that you're going to deploy - and pretty early on in your career," he said.

Army officials said the switch did not mean the "Army of One" slogan was a loser, but many have criticized it.

Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute research group, said the previous slogan seemed to promote the notion that you could join the Army and preserve your individuality.

"If you want to be an `Army of One' you probably want to join the Hell's Angels, not the U.S. Army," he said.

The Army adopted the "Army of One" slogan in January 2001 after research showed that young people saw life in the military as dehumanizing. It had replaced the "Be All You Can Be" campaign, which lasted nearly 20 years but which Army officials had soured on at a time of recruiting problems.

"Army Strong" was developed by McCann Worldgroup, the communications firm the Army hired last December after struggling through a disappointing recruiting year. The overall five-year contract with McCann Worldgroup is valued at $1 billion, with the first two years guaranteed at $200 million annually.

The new slogan, developed in numerous tests with focus groups and interviews with soldiers, is meant to convey the idea that if you join the Army you will gain physical and emotional strength, as well as strength of character and purpose.

"What will happen if you come into the Army is what soldiers know happens: you become better," Van Antwerp said in an interview. It also is aimed at selling the merits of Army service to parents, teachers and other "influencers" - adults who directly influence a young person's direction in life, Van Antwerp said.

Harvey said the ad campaign "speaks to the essential truth" of being a soldier.

Eric Keshin, chief operating officer at McCann Worldgroup, said in an interview that "Army Strong" represents "an evolution that is moving with the times" to enable the Army to meet its recruiting goals.

The other military services also rely on slogans to spearhead their advertising campaigns. Just last month the Air Force switched its from "Cross Into the Blue" to "Do Something Amazing." The Navy has relied on "Accelerate Your Life" since January 2001, and the Marines have long used "The Few. The Proud."

Ellie

outlaw3179
10-09-06, 02:15 PM
lol...so it took 200 Million to come up with that masterpiece? I still like " The Few, the Proud, the Marines. "

Marine84
10-09-06, 02:22 PM
They should fire the ad agency - give me a break! Army Strong - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

rktect3j
10-09-06, 02:34 PM
It don't do much more for me then the old slogan which was a dud. Go back to the previous old version already. "Be all you can be." Ten times better then these two new ones put together.

maverickmarine
10-09-06, 02:46 PM
Yeah, they will never compete with ours but that's another turd in the punch bowl. "Be all you can be", is the only one that was worth a damn. "Army Strong". Ha! Army still stands for "Aint Ready to be a Marine Yet". LMAO!!

outlaw3179
10-09-06, 02:50 PM
I always like the response to "Be all you can be".....Too bad thats all you could be . :)

Seeley
10-09-06, 02:57 PM
Yep. "Be all you can be" was the best one. By far. We're still the best though...and I've seen "Army Strong" before...actually, it was "Army Fat" lol.

yellowwing
10-09-06, 03:02 PM
"Army Challenge" would have been better than Army Strong. It sounds like someone who hasn't caught on to the English language! :banana:

STA0311
10-09-06, 03:20 PM
Doesn't matter....they still Aren't Really Marines Yet!

horselady
10-09-06, 03:57 PM
It don't do much more for me then the old slogan which was a dud. Go back to the previous old version already. "Be all you can be." Ten times better then these two new ones put together.

You're absolutely right. And as a writer in the advertising
business, I'm faced with the challenge of having to replace
a wonderful slogan with a new one just because the client wants
a new one. Burger King has never topped its original slogan of
Have it Your Way, but they've spent hundreds of millions trying.
The Army's entire $200 Million budget didn't go into this but
I'd say conservatively that at least $10 million of it did.

I'm sure the ad agency created hundreds if not thousands of
new slogans, many of which were likely better than Army Strong.
What that slogan is is a slogan by committee. The Army had to get
a new slogan approved by at least 50 people, no doubt, and the
result of that is usually a slogan that doesn't offend anyone, but
at the same time, it's a slogan that doesn't inspire/excite anyone either.

If they were smart, they would have saved themselves $$millions and
gone back to the slogan that worked.

Thankfully, the Marines are wise enough to stick with a winner.
:thumbup:

jerryk
10-09-06, 04:14 PM
should say custer,s best,save a lot of our money

drumcorpssnare
10-09-06, 04:24 PM
For a nickel, I could have told those Army PR guys that their new slogan should have been, "The Army...We Wish We Were U.S. Marines!":banana:

outlaw3179
10-09-06, 04:29 PM
Or how about " Army ...Hey at least were not the Air Force"

maverickmarine
10-09-06, 04:34 PM
Or how about " Army ...Hey at least were not the Air Force"

That's freakin' hilarious!!!

rktect3j
10-09-06, 04:55 PM
Or how about " Army ...Hey at least were not the Air Force"
Bwahaha. :banana:

mrbsox
10-10-06, 11:35 AM
The new ARMY slogans that DIDN'T make it !! :banana:

10) Can't use a zipper ?? WE GOT VELCRO !!

9) (Bill Murray doing) Aaarrrrrmy Training SIR !!

8) FREE Disability pensions available with every signature.

7) Hey Kid... wanna do a T.V. commercial ??

6)

Keep 'em coming !! :thumbup: :D

drumcorpssnare
10-10-06, 12:21 PM
"U.S. Army- We've Lowered Our Standards.....AGAIN.":banana:

yellowwing
10-10-06, 02:21 PM
Army Strong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhhTfbo3Z5U) commercial. Actually not too bad of a production with what they have to work with. :nerd:

thedrifter
10-11-06, 06:25 AM
Army Strong' Meets 'Marines Better'

October 11, 2006: The U.S. Army met it's recruiting goals this year, and hopes to repeat that success next year, in part, by adopting a new slogan. For years, the army recruiting slogan had been "An Army of One." This has been derided by many troops (teamwork is what makes an army work), and tends to baffle potential recruits. The new slogan is "Army Strong." This one was tested thoroughly with potential recruits and those currently in the army, and passed muster. The new slogan refers to emotional and character strength, as well as the physical kind. All those videos of soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have had an impact, and potential recruits see soldiers are strong, badass type people. The G.I.'s appear strong in all the ways the new slogan implies, and the new pitch is that recruits can be strong as well, as long as they sign up for four years..

These slogans are a source of mirth for many veterans, and those currently in the service. For many who have been there, the new slogan makes it appear the army has been paying attention to the USMC recruiters. The marines stress the idea that, if a recruit is good enough, we might take you. That appeals to potential recruits, and the army is hoping for the same response.

Meanwhile, some of the less serious observers see what might be the start of a trend in recruiting slogans. For example;

Army Strong
Air Force Smart
Navy Nice
Marines Better

Ellie

Eric Hood
10-11-06, 03:56 PM
Alot of fine men and women have served in the Army. But, jeez, can they make up their mind on one slogan? It's getting confusing.
Semper Fi,
Eric

bootlace15
10-13-06, 09:50 AM
who the heck needs a slogan,word of mouth is the best. Now drop down and give me 5,000 you maggot. Ohhhhhhhhhh Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!s

seabag
10-13-06, 11:15 PM
Back in the 70's, after the draft ended, they had one that said " Today's army want's to join you."
:D Wonder how much that one cost?

The Marines briefly ran a commercial that stated; "We're not joining anyone!"

How about this for a new army slogan: The few, the proud, The Marines!
Everyone else, Army Strong?