Saatchi ousted from £7m Army recruitment brief
The Army has sacked Saatchi & Saatchi and put its £7m recruitment advertising account up for pitch. The decision comes just days after the launch of the agency’s “People aren’t easily led” recruitment campaign.
The Army has sacked Saatchi & Saatchi and put its £7m recruitment advertising account up for pitch. The decision comes just days after the launch of the agency’s “People aren’t easily led” recruitment campaign (MW October 18).
Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, Leo Burnett, Publicis and Lowe Lintas have been shortlisted for the pitch, which is being run by COI Communications through the AAR. None of the agencies have previously worked on the Army’s advertising.
The account under review includes recruitment advertising for the Territorial Army.
Deputy head of Army recruiting Colonel Wayne Harber says the Army Recruitment Group is looking for “fresh ideas” as it moves into the third stage of its long-running campaign.
“We have worked with Saatchi & Saatchi for six or seven years and while they have done great work and we have no complaints, we feel it is time for a fresh start,” he adds.
The first campaign created by the appointed agency will break in April next year and will focus on the range of career options, from IT to engineering, that are available within the Army.
Media planning and buying will remain with Zenith.
Saatchi’s “Be the Best” campaign has increased the number of Army recruits by more than 300 per cent since the early Nineties and has won a number of accolades, including the industry’s D&AD award three years ago.
