Army seeks recruitment ad chief

The Army’s head of recruitment marketing Colonel Rory Clayton is leaving, and is understood to be taking up a civilian job in marketing.

Clayton, who has been in the Army for more than ten years and in his current position for four years, has built up an award-winning relationship with Saatchi & Saatchi, the Army’s agency of record since 1993. This account is expected to come under intense scrutiny from the rest of the advertising industry in the coming months.

However, the Army insists that, although it periodically reviews its ad arrangements, it has no plans to move from Saatchi.

Clayton, who recently appeared in a trade press ad campaign to promote the effectiveness of radio advertising, is expected to be replaced in the next few months. In the meantime his role will be handled by newly promoted civilian marketing director Mark Bainbridge, and two senior Army personnel. Bainbridge was previously a marketing manager in the Army’s marketing department.

The Army spends about &£10m a year on advertising through Saatchi on what has been a series of highly regarded campaigns.

The campaigns have won British Design & Art Direction Awards, as well as Institute of Practitioners in Advertising awards for advertising effectiveness.