Given all the back and forth about the U.S. Army account over the past two or three years, one can sometimes forget that the whole point of the exercise is to promote the military and boost recruitment.
McCann rarely publicizes its Army work as it does campaigns for other clients like Chevy or National Geographic or MGM.
But this week the agency released a new spot that takes a slightly different approach than past efforts. “Who We Are” positions membership in the armed forces as a matter of pride and being willing to do the hard work that others won’t—which in this case means armed conflict in foreign lands.
In concept it’s similar to past efforts focusing on patriotism, but in execution it’s a bit closer to an international action film or a video game spot.
Here’s a past message-focused ad for comparison.
So who will win the big account?
The three-way pitch is over, but we won’t find out for at least another month as the GAO processes the agency’s bid protest—and it could be as late as next April thanks to the Army’s latest contract extension.