Army youth wing seeks brand tie-in to attract teenagers to soldiering

The Army plans to team up with a youth brand in an attempt to attract more teenagers to join Camouflage, its membership scheme for young people.

The brand, which could be in any sector but has to appeal to both teenage boys and girls, will be involved in long-term joint marketing initiatives run through Camouflage.

The youth membership scheme was set up last year to encourage 13to 17-year-old youngsters to consider a career in the armed forces.

It provides members with regular mailings, including the triannual Army magazine – published by Haymarket – and the Camouflage website, which carries information on army careers, competitions and games. So far, more than 70,000 teenagers – a quarter of who are female – have registered as members of the scheme, which is handled by Cramm Francis Woolf.

Camouflage marketing officer Major Gavin Grant says: “It is notoriously difficult to capture the imagination of young people, yet the marketing campaign for Camouflage has more than doubled our target of 30,000 members in the first year.”

The Army is running a competition, promoted on the Channel 4 website, to find the Face of Camouflage. The winner will spend a week in Kenya with the Royal Welch Fusiliers and will be featured on the Camouflage website for a month.

Grant adds: “Such an interactive programme may well appeal to marketers who are keen to extend their brand relationship with 13to 17-year-olds.”