New Ammunition

The flag waves in all its glory. A stark piano riff builds as a montage of images of soldiers—past and pres ent, old and young, in action and at rest—unfolds. The spot ends with the only copy in the ad: "Every generation has its heroes. This one is no different."The commercial, which began running two weeks ago, marks the next stage in the evolution of Leo Burnett's "Army of one" campaign, an effort that was met with some resistance and criticism for its seemingly contradictory tagline. Created in response to the events of Sept. 11, the spot, titled "Generations," continues to carry the tag but now puts much less emphasis on its theme (for example, the campaign launched with a spot of a lone soldier trek king through a desert).Messages of patriotism and unity have dominated advertising efforts in the weeks following the terrorist attacks, but if there is one category of advertising that most lends itself to flag-waving patriotism, it's the advertising of the various military branches. It's also one category that may most need to re think its focus in light of recent events. This comes at an interesting time for military ac counts, many of which were shifted last year as the government sought to increase recruitment levels. The Army moved its $100 million-plus account from Young & Rubicam to Leo Burnett; the Air Force moved its $50 million account to GSD&M from the now-defunct Bozell Kamstra; and Campbell-Ewald picked up duties on the $40 million Navy business from BBDO. The $20 million account for the Department of Defense's Joint Re cruitment Advertising Program is currently in review.Thus far, as the U.S. launches a full war operation, agencies have relied not only on the hard-sell recruitment messages most prevalent in military advertising of the past, but also on broader, image-style ads that reinforce ideas of unity, freedom and American heroism. "I felt people need to hear a sense of reassurance and a feeling of security," says Mike Colt, executive creative director at Leo Burnett, of the genesis of the Army's new commercial. "The idea is very simple: Every generation has its hero; this one is no different. It's an appropriate message for the Army." The other branches of the military have also broadened their approaches, some with new commercials and some with PSAs that salute their troops' efforts to protect the nation.The Air Force will break a campaign Nov. 5 out of its new agency, GSD&M in Austin, Texas. The launch was pushed back from early October, and in its place the Air Force is running an interim piece, an old spot that's been re-edited and given a new tagline, "Freedom forever." "[The spot] is not meant to re cruit," says Capt. Joe Della Vedova, an Air Force representative. "It's to reinforce what the United States Air Force is all about." Set to a soulful, wordless track, the spot shows troops at work, preparing for a mission, flying planes. In one memorable frame, an airman carries a child in his arms as a helicopter flies overhead. The spot closes with the Air Force logo and, finally, the declaration, "Freedom forever." GSD&M executives declined to comment on the upcoming effort, but Della Vedova says the three 30-second spots being prepared for broadcast delve into the theme "Crossing into the blue." As with other Air Force advertising from years past, he adds, the campaign will highlight the Air Force's high-tech capabilities. And unlike "Freedom forever," recruitment will be the "sole purpose" of the spots.The Army, meanwhile, credits Burnett's "Army of one" campaign with the fact that recruitment goals were exceeded at the end of its fiscal cycle, in September. The Navy, the Marines and the Air Force have also met their numbers. Though recruitment may be more essential now, agencies have not stepped up media spending on their military accounts. Some, like the Navy and the Marines, have boosted their media presence at no cost by taking advantage of their status as government accounts—a military spot edited as a public service effort can be picked up by broadcasters for free. And in the scramble to fill suddenly vacant media time, more stations are running PSAs. Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., has a PSA, completed shortly before the attacks, to supplement the three commercials in its "Accelerate your life" campaign for the Navy that began this spring (one spot, featuring scenes from Men of Honor, asks, "When was the last time someone made a movie about what you do?"). "Clearly there is an appetite for it," says Jeff Ser egny, executive vice president/account director at C-E. A Boston station has run the PSA at least 30 times since the spot was sent out, soon after the attacks, he says. The spot features images of everyday Americans proclaiming what freedom means to them."It's almost foolish not to have a [PSA]," says Bill Ludwig, vice chairman and chief creative officer at Campbell-Ewald. "All of this was in place, and suddenly there's this big upswell of defending our freedom and rallying around the flag and patriotism."As preparations be gin for the next flight of military advertising to meet 2002's recruitment goals, agencies are waiting to see how events unfold and their target market (males aged 18-24) reacts. "The big question in my mind is, What will the right re sponse be?" says Colt. "A lot of it depends on what happens." Leo Burnett will be preparing new ads for the Army in the next few months for a January air date. The agency, Colt says, will continue working within the creative framework of "Army of One." Before the attacks, Burnett was running the "Basic training" campaign, with spots that took a cue from reality-based TV programming. The Survivor-style com mer cials followed six re cruits through their training exercises, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the transformation from civ ilian to soldier. Those spots are now off the air, but Colt says they may come back. J. Walter Thompson, Atlanta, which has handled the Marines account since 1947, has made some changes in its advertising since the attacks. It pulled "Rite of passage," a popular special-effects-laden spot that had been running since 1998, showing a young man slaying a monster. It was replaced with a spot celebrating the history of the Marines and "de signed to talk to a broader audience," says Rob Cher of, management director and senior partner.Wider-focus advertising efforts, appealing to influencers such as parents and teachers as well as recruits, may have the added benefit of helping the public feel better about the conflict. But, Cherof says, "It's not our job to defend what the conflict is. The politicians can do that." It seems clear, however, that the public is very supportive of the conflict and the government's performance, which works to the advantage of military advertisers as they grapple with which tack to take. "In the Gulf War, it wasn't as clear that [the military activity] was a noble cause," says Cherof. "This is as clear as it gets."

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