Maj. Gen. Alex Fink: Brand Repositioned To ‘Possibilities’
For the first time since 2001, the U.S. Army has introduced a new brand, and an accompanying campaign, intended to spotlight opportunities the Army provides youth, to counter negative connotations about military service, and to increase enlistment numbers after failure to meet recruiting goals last year.
States Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, Chief of Army Enterprise Marketing: “All good brands must evolve to reflect internal and external changes to ensure an accurate depiction of the organization that also meets audience needs. Research tells us that youth seek out paths filled with possibilities of purpose, passion, community, and connection; however, they don’t see the Army as an organization that can set them on those paths. As part of our multiyear, research-based brand transformation process, we set out to identify a one-word brand positioning that encapsulates the Army’s promise to today’s youth. ‘Possibilities’ revealed itself as a singular option, solution, and inspiration.”
The brand transformation is described as “a multiyear, research-based process designed to reflect today’s Army more accurately and authentically.” The look and feel consists of a reengineered five-point star logo — (the box has been removed to reflect possibilities) — coupled with the return of the “Be All You Can Be” tagline. The logo and tagline are a part of a full-brand ecosystem that includes a custom font, expanded color palette, new iconography, photography, motion graphics and more.
Among the graphic key elements: the Army star has been refreshed to reflect a more modern environment; the existing color palette of black, gold, and yellow – inspired by the ingredients of gunpowder – is expanding to include an own-able “Army Green”; a custom font called “G.I.” is intended to bring consistency across all branded contexts; and a suite of animated digital stickers that honor the Army tradition of patches, pins and signifiers as well as a collection of motion graphics have been created for digital story telling.
The new logo is credited to Siegel+Gale, a member of a consortium called Team DDB that holds the design contract with the US Army, was tasked with updating all aspects of the organization’s outward facing branding. At the center of the rollout is a campaign, again from DDB, that include two films narrated by actor Jonathan Majors, star of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III.” With a focus on Army history, the two films — “Overcoming Obstacles” and “Pushing Tomorrow” — showcase service as a driver of possibilities and as a bridge between past and future.
The films are being coupled with a mix of promotional assets across television, print, digital billboards, streaming video, social and community platforms, and audio channels. The paid media campaign tips off at the 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament with on-site activations, broadcast showcases, and digital campaign extensions. A second phase of the campaign by DDB, whose US Army-related efforts are centered at DDB Chicago, will be unveiled later this year.
