After successfully salvaging the first campaign of the Army\u2019s \u201cBe All You Can Be\u201d rebrand, the service\u2019s top marketers are back with new advertisements and new leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next rounds of advertisements \u2014 anchored by three cinematic spots collectively dubbed \u201cFirst Steps\u201d by Army Enterprise Marketing Office leaders \u2014 debuted Monday morning, said the office\u2019s interim director, Ignatios Mavridis. First Steps is the second campaign in the \u201cBe All You Can Be\u201d rebrand, which launched in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt tries to be an authentic portrayal of what it means to be a young soldier,\u201d Mavridis told Army Times. \u201cIt\u2019s an up close and personal campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The marketing chief added that the three new cinematic ads and images launching Monday won\u2019t just be on television \u2014 the Army has also secured streaming platform buys and \u201cout of home\u201d advertising, such as billboards and posters. The new ads can be viewed at the bottom of this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the featured cinematic ad is a minute long, Mavridis said all three are available in \u201c30-, 15- and six-second spots.\u201d That will allow them to appear in small slots such as during long YouTube videos or on other social media platforms, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The longest of the new cinematic ads, \u201cFirst Arrival,\u201d depicts Army recruits as they leave home and arrive at basic training, and the second, \u201cFirst Patch,\u201d shows family members placing patches on their newly graduated soldiers at the conclusion of training. The third spot, \u201cFirst Target,\u201d shows a new tank gunner engaging a live fire target for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notably, none of the advertisements appear to feature a celebrity, as the first round of \u201cBe All You Can Be\u201d commercials did. Although celebrity endorsements are a common marketing technique, they come with risk, as the Army learned when its on-screen narrator, actor Jonathan Majors, was arrested for domestic assault<\/a> in March. Majors, who has maintained his innocence, faces trial on Sept. 6<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Army Times first reported the service\u2019s decision to pull its new advertisements in the arrest\u2019s wake, which left Army marketers and their advertising contractors working overtime<\/a> to cut revamped ads and avoid losing millions of dollars of pre-purchased TV airtime during high-profile sporting events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI take great pride in saying that our team pivoted so fast when all this transpired that I hope…that the common person wouldn\u2019t have noticed\u201d the switch in content, Mavridis said, praising his team\u2019s \u201cheroic\u201d effort. He also claimed that audience awareness of the campaign was not noticeably impacted by the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In another change for the Army\u2019s Chicago-based marketing office, an officer without marketing experience is due to take the reins as the service\u2019s chief marketing officer in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant will take over as the office\u2019s director on Sept. 6, Mavridis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gant\u2019s predecessor, now-retired Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, was hand-picked from the Army Reserve\u2019s ranks of part-time troops to lead the marketing office due to his civilian marketing experience and expertise. The office has also partnered with talent management experts across the Army to develop a marketing officer career field that demands its applicants have significant experience or relevant graduate degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNew direction for director role<\/h2>\n\n\n\n