Amid ongoing recruitment challenges, the US Army rolled out its newest ad campaign Wednesday, featuring a modern twist on a nostalgic recruiting motto.
“Be All You Can Be” emerged as top choice among hundreds of other contenders for slogans, Stars and Stripes reported citing Army officials at Wednesday’s ad launch. The slogan’s nostalgic appeal and positive response ultimately led Army leaders to rebrand the motto for modern recruitment efforts, the outlet reported.
The Army missed its recruiting goal of 60,000 by 25% in 2022, causing the service to adjust 2023 objectives. This year, the Army looks to pull in 65,000 new recruits. The Army’s efforts to reach its “stretch goal” include initiatives like incentivizing soldier referrals and a new course for those who want to join the army but can’t yet meet the standards, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told CNN. (RELATED: ‘Swimming Upstream:’ Air Force Looks To Miss 2023 Recruiting Goals)
“All of the military services are facing the most challenging recruiting landscape in decades,” Wormuth told Stars and Stripes. “So, it is a perfect time to be launching our new brand, launching our reinvented tagline ‘Be All You Can Be.’ And as a child of the ‘80s, I am super excited.”
The classic Army motto, first introduced in 1981, featured a star inside the box, according to Stars and Stripes. It now showcases the famous slogan alongside a reengineered five-point star logo with the box removed to emphasize the “limitless possibilities” in the Army, the US Army noted.
The slogan’s rebrand launched with two new films narrated by actor Jonathan Majors, star of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III,” the Army said. A second phase will roll out later this year with a “deeper, more personal look at the hopes, fears and dreams of today’s youth.”