Army sticks to the same recruitment plan

07 August 2008

Despite widespread and well documented recruitment problems within the British Army, the MoD decided to renew its contract with a company handling the marketing of the Army.

Tequilla/London has been reappointed as the direct marketer for the British Army despite the Army missing their recruitment targets last year. As of 1 April, the Army was over 3,000 personnel short of its required target and lost over 1,000 more personnel last year than it gained. Questions over how effective the company is at attracting new recruits in such a poor recruiting environment have been raised in the past.

MoD and Tequilla officials downplayed the poor statistics, arguing that at least 25 per cent of the Army’s £36m marketing budget has to go towards countering negative publicity that may deter potential recruits from joining.

Tequilla’s recruitment marketing campaigns over the last year have included an ad that challenged young men’s masculinity and various ads targeted at football fans and during TV shows that attract the teenage male demographic. They have also encouraged the Army and the other services to use web videos more often.

In the coming year the Army and Tequilla are planning a recruitment strategy that may seem controversial to some. Officials from the company plan to begin targeting 13-16 year olds for future enlistment and will conduct repeated follow up phone calls with the potential interested recruits in order to keep them aware of the opportunities that a career in the services provides.