The mission: get a new generation to see that the Army has hundreds of career opportunities beyond combat, which represents just 3% its roles. This was Team DDB’s first work for them, and their most successful campaign in decades. We have the case study to prove it:
The launch spot in all its glory:
Wait, was that a sample of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4”? Why a classic rock track to speak to 17-year-olds? Because digging through the record bins is what their favorite hiphop producers do. On YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit, our audience begged for a full-length version, so we obliged. We released this full-length remix with new vocals from an indie rapper on Spotify, Apple, Peloton, and more.
Past work for the Army tended to focus on wartime images with messages of patriotic responsibility and “the path of sacrifice.” That didn’t change the minds of many headphone-wearing teenagers who thought of their future in terms of what they have to gain—not what they have to give up. Fact is, today’s Army has a surprising diversity of career opportunities that are exactly what this new generation is looking for. To get that across, we expanded the narrow definition of “warrior,” and hacked the model of Gen Z’s favorite entertainment franchises to give each of these roles an aspirational identity.
If you’re a nerd who’ll buy me expensive drinks, I’ll tell you all about the thousands of modular assets we created, allowing us to expose different careers—science, tech, mechanical, culinary, and yes, infantry—to different audiences based on their interests and behaviors. We’ll clink glasses to precise targeting, then sing a slurry song about this awesomely effective career-finding tool we built for GoArmy.com.
If you have a bad word about any of this: thank you for the constructive feedback. Now brace yourself as I punch you in the throat and say, “My clients know how to handle themselves, and they like me.”
WORK GALLERY
