Army launches ‘rebranding’ and recruitment campaigns

The Army is launching a publicity campaign to keep its work in the public eye, following the end of combat operations in Afghanistan.

The “Normal Day” campaign aims to explain to the public the roles the Army fulfils around the world.

It has been launched alongside a recruitment drive, aimed at attracting regulars and reserves. Both campaigns will cost a total of £7m.

Last year the Army only recruited 20 fully-trained reserves.

In its recruiting year 2013/14 it also missed its target for regulars – 6,198 recruits joined the Army, against a target of 9,382.

The rebranding campaign comes after a survey suggested 20% of Britons believe the Army is less relevant now than ever before.

This figure rises to 25% among the Army’s core recruitment audience, of those aged between 18 and 34.

When asked what ought to be the Army’s current priority, conflict came top with 34%, but when asked what should be a key task only 11% chose humanitarian aid and only 13% suggested it should be disaster relief.

The research was carried out by market research firm OnePoll between 12 and 19 December 2014, among 3,000 adults.

The “Normal Day” campaign will include three documentaries showing real-life examples of the impact that individual Army personnel have made to people’s lives in the UK, Kosovo and the Philippines.

And the Army recruitment campaign, conducted under the banner of “More Than Meets The Eye”, will see a series of recruitment events being held around the country.

See more: recruitment, public relations