The British Army has launched the third and final instalment of its three year ‘Belonging’ campaign, designed to raise awareness and get young people to consider joining the army for the first time, watch one of the adverts here.
Research undertaken by Capita, whom partner with the army in their recruitment endeavours, has shown that only 7% of people know someone who is currently serving whilst a staggering 81% of people have little knowledge of the British army and its role in society. The campaign for this year consists mainly of three different television adverts; one of a minute in length, and two more each of thirty second duration, and a series of several radio advertisements.
The theme of these are each based around what you would expect of a typical army recruitment advert: transgression and transition of recruits from their role in society based upon the army’s ability to see the best in people – typical of the advertisements seen in the last few years. The best example is that of a young lady pushing shopping trolleys for a living where the advert contrasts her current role into one in the army where her characteristics transpose into skills needed of a modern soldier.
Col. Ben Wilde, Asst. Dir of Recruitment said:
“The biggest benefit of joining the army is the sense of belonging experienced amongst soldiers, giving those who serve: common purpose, strong bonds and a sense of working together.”
The campaign takes a more gamble with its series of posters on display across the UK consisting of six images based upon a modernisation of the infamous Lord Kitchener ‘Your Country Needs You’ posters.
The twist being each of the new advertisements poster contains an image of a modern soldier with different phrases including: ‘Binge Gamers’, ‘Class Clowns’, ‘Snow Flakes’, and ‘Selfie Addicts’ (plus more).
The gamble here is the army are effectively labelling the next generation of soldiers into any one of these categories which could potentially offend new recruits or perhaps miss their target audience where those wishing to join the army do not recognise themselves are fitting into either on the labels identified in the posters.
However, the British Army insists the entire advertisement campaign is focused around ‘unlocking potential’ and is designed to illustrate a sense of ‘belonging in a team where anyone can do something that matters’.
Notwithstanding this, nobody can fault the British army for the its commitment and resilience in recruitment, especially given the highly competitive marketplace in which it is competing. With unemployment in 16 to 20 year olds being at its lowest for several years, and more younger people travelling as opposed to staying the UK (largely as an effect of globalisation): the British Army ploughs on, and tries to differentiate itself to appear as an appealing option to the next generation of soldiers.
Better than last year, still poor
After 22 years the team kicks you out and don’t want to know.
After 22_years you revive a pension .. Many ppl have worked for years for 30 years and nothing in many jobs .. Work for any form of business they don’t come and hold your hand when you leave !!!!!!!.want to they want a personal nanny ?
What’s a “Now Flake” ?
Actually it’s “Snow Flake.” One of the included pictures has the poster for the ad.
“Your Army needs literally anyone, we’re desperate, well even take ex RAF Regiment” is the honest slogan!
Recruit EU citizens, like the Germans do.
the fact people get in a hissyfit over a stupid shoulder patch with the EU flag means thats impossible. But I have nothing wrong with Commonwealth Citizens joining…and Irish. I feel post brexit the commonwealth is where we need to be looking towards!
We already have a big number of non British in the army.
If they are willing to fight for this country then thats fine, for many, like Gurkhas, West Indians and Fijians its seen as a ‘way out’ and maybe even a chance to fight for the ‘mother country'(rare id say), we have a long historic affiliation with these countries, whereas with Europe its been either allies who work together for common goals or we have spent most of our time at war with them. Of course European unity should be a goal, but Britain shouldn’t be a part of it I feel. God Im sick of talking about the EU! but post brexit I think many CW countries are looking forward to the opportunities. Canadas opposition the Conservative Party have adopted CANZUK as official policy.
Dave F wrote:
Recruit EU citizens, like the Germans do.
Cpl Mikko Vehvilainen was jailed in Nov last for 8 years for belonging to Nazi wannabes National action. He is a Finish Citizen.
Funny enough, quite a few of the right wing idiots nicked in the UK killing people have been EU citizens. So from me, no thanks.
I didn’t realise there was a mass right wing killing epidemic occurring in this country.
Marc wrote:
I didn’t realise there was a mass right wing killing epidemic occurring in this country.
Thankfully there isn’t, and I was a little too eager to promote that view, what I should have stated was there has certainly been a rise in far right activity in the country from Eastern Europeans: which the ethical latte brigade love to promote as British xenophobia and as a claim that the average British person is a white racist bigot. But in reply to my statement:
Mosque bomber Pavlo Lapshyn given life for murder
A Ukrainian student has been jailed for at least 40 years for murdering an 82-year-old man and plotting explosions near mosques in racist attacks. Pavlo Lapshyn stabbed Mohammed Saleem in Small Heath, Birmingham on 29 April, five days after arriving in the UK.
Man stabbed during violence as ‘Polish neo-Nazis’ storm Tottenham music festival
A man was stabbed as dozens of ‘Polish neo-Nazis’ stormed a free music event sparking violent clashes in a north London park, witnesses said. Flares, rocks and glass bottles were thrown during an “unprovoked attack” in Tottenham on Saturday night.
Four men who punched and stamped on Polish girl, 17, saying she ‘deserved to be killed’ for dating an Englishman, beat her boyfriend and stabbed his father in the leg outside their own home are jailed for 10 years
A gang of Polish men who launched a vile, racist attack on a family have been jailed for more than ten years.
Polish man jailed for using his dog to attack Muslims in ‘campaign of racism’
A man in Manchester has been jailed for using his dog to perpetrate two separate racist attacks on Muslims. Jakub Wendland, a 32 year old from Poland who has lived in the UK for four years, set his cross-breed bull terrier loose on a Muslim man in Longsight before letting it attack a woman in the city centre just hours later.
Racist Polish sisters who savagely attacked Britons SPARED JAIL
POLISH sisters who attacked three English girls and chanted “Poland rule the world” in a savage racist attack have escaped jail.
Far right Polish hooligans recruited by neo-Nazis to fight anti-fascists in Liverpool
Three far right Polish hooligans recruited by neo-Nazis to fight anti-fascists in Liverpool were today jailed.
Polish neo-Nazis invade Britain to unleash terror on our streets
VICIOUS Polish neo-Nazis have infiltrated the British far-right to unleash terror on our streets.
My point been is that, a lot of Eastern Europeans hold views that run contrary to what is acceptable in the Uk. Yes we face similar intolerance from home-grown nutters, but they are here and our problem to deal with, what we shouldn’t be doing is importing such views.
“well even take ex RAF Regiment” I would rather have African child soldiers before we go that low.
Crap, even RAF Reg? no way, but then again we have doors in the Company Offices that need opening and closing and the kettle doesn’t fill and boil on its own!
The problem the Army has, is it replaced its entire recruiting arm with…Crapita and I’m somebody who paid a visit to its then brand new recruiting HQ a few years back at Upavon in which to discuss one of my officer candidates and to see if there was a way in which to streamline the system (Wouldn’t budge)
FYI:
The system now is that candidates who wish to join up, have to apply on line, where they fill out an electronic application form where answering certain questions honestly, will see you rejected. (For example one of my female candidates stated that as a child she suffered from acne. She was rejected straight away. the fact remains she looked like a page three stunner with flawless skin on top of which, she had joined the reserves, passed her training and was simply biding her time to join the regs. Another girl who stated she had broken her leg as a child, was rejected and told she could reapply in 2 years time but only if kept a training diary over that period. again she had also joined the reserves, her local UOTC. (She was a student doing a degree in bio engineering) and ran X-country for her country as an adult. In both cases the girls in question left and they left disgruntled, which is a message they would have passed onto their peers.)
If you do manage to pass the computer application, you would be directed to a centre where you are supposed to have 3 separate interviews at first hand, where so called experts judge your mental well being , if you pass that, you are booked for a visit to one of a number recruiting centres for a medical. If you pass that, you are then booked for a recruits course.
The system in place which was set up to streamline the old ACIO network not only has made the process much more convoluted , it actually discourages people from applying. for example when I joined up, I went to Leeds, applied, smacked the doctor for touching my arse during my medical, was failed due to weak ankles, caught the train to Huddersfield, applied again, passed the medical , took the queens shilling (I think it was around £10 at the time) whilst pledging my allegiance to the Queen and found myself at Sutton Coldfield around a month later and ended up at Gibraltar Barracks a week later. I did 22 years apparently with weak ankles.
When is the contract with Crapita up? Government needs to go back to the old system of armed forces careers offices they had previous to this load of wank; staff it with ex servicemen and women or those coming to the end of their service (perhaps a way to retain soldiers beyond the 22 years who are perhaps getting a little old for combat duties?)
The government’s obsession with contracting out to private companies is a mess and needs to stop. There was no need for the recruitment process to be as convoluted as it is.
Ah Sutton Coldfield, getting a chest Xray in that trailer!!!! Your right as usual Farouk, when my eldest went to join the reserves, she was chinned off, as about 2 years previous she hurt her back dragging someone out of a swimming pool (she is a lifeguard) and was on painkillers and medication for about 4 weeks, and got told to come back the following year with a doctors letter saying she is ok! Well she stuck with it, passed and is now bored as she is sick of sweeping the TA centre as there isn’t any cash for decent training opportunities. She is now becoming a copper!
We could prob get 5000 gurka’s tommorrow, just offer them citizenship at the end of their service and we and they would benefit (that’s the kind of folk and their families i would welcome).
Sorry, just as crap as last year. If you want to see a decent recruiting campaign, and it does pain me somewhat to say this, look at the RMs, closely followed by the RN “made in the RN”, pretty good both.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4cqB1h49eCg/XC9zynz7RyI/AAAAAAABrJ4/fWqu8oI91tgHSOGcY5OVGZW2cux85TrWACLcBGAs/s1600/DwBa_TCUcAAr8_w.jpg
Dave_F
Fine, if you place ideology above practicality then have it your way: let’s recruit from the Commonwealth! It looks like the British youth is just not interested in joining the army.
For me, I’d much rather see Poles in the army as there are already millions here, that would even further help with their integration.
Dave we have been recruiting from the Commonwealth for years, and this went up a serious notch in the late 90s early 200s onwards. In fact at a certain period in time (I forget when, maybe one of you boys can remind me) the RLC was recruited over 18% Commonwealth and was in fact told to stop.
Its hardly surprising that 81% of the population know very little or nothing at all about the British Army considering that the armies manpower is at an all time low. How many people meet a serving sqaddie these days? The latest recruitment attempt is already a disaster and will fail to attract men and women who could be an asset to the Armed Forces. Pay is a major issue, being pursued by lawyers for obeying politicians orders is another, and now the possibility of trying to serve alongside colleagues with accepted personality problems should finish off the disaster.
It is all down to money. The Armed Forces budget will not support First rate servicemen and women. Until someone comes to their senses and provides at least 4% of GDP to give us the equipment and men/women we deserve no one will really WANT to serve the colours, which after all is what it is all about.
Inn Ukraine we do darky Womans with Face pant much bettur than yoors, They has hairy bits on chins and big fire sticky bang bangs in hands of Stone grippy for ready internal invasive Rusky mens We want much joining of nato too get off them Rusky menaces owt of our womans parts.
Oh dear God. I actually understand all that. You got some Spell Checker there Mate, Is It Russian ?
Rusky scum pfff , I spurt on the Grownd.
The reason why young men (who will make up the vast majority of new recruits and should therefore be focused on) join the Army or Navy is not “belonging” or some other nonsense but adventure, that’s what should be shown in adverts, tanks, machine guns, handguns, etc. THAT is what will make young men join, not some p.c. nonsense.
Correct to a certain degree, as when Herrick 4 got seriously kinetic and it was on everyone’s TV, recruitment over the next 4-5 years was not an issue. Most young lads (the main recruitment pool) watch the footage and wanted to be part of it. Combat is a great recruiter, seeing the sanitized version on telly (which however soon loses its gloss and becomes dirty, nasty, smelly and repetitive). But, it is still the biggest high and fix you can get!
No matter what dolls the PC Brigade want lads to play with, lads still want to use weapons, drive armoured vehicles, fly about in helicopters and use some of the highest tech kit on the planet. Its just getting them to see that it can be done, its a smooth recruitment process and the option is there for a well paid career structured job.
Ha, It’s just like an Anne Summers party really then, but with less weapons for the Ladies to play with. (am I bad ? )
What a joke. We need WARRIORS
What the hell are we playing at
Rolls eyes
Here’s interesting recruitment material and from battle hardened and decorated military veterans too:
http://vfpuk.org/
And? I could dig out a policy statement from MacDonald’s, doesn’t mean I eat that crap!
Loss of the regimental system has a part to play, the merger of the Scots regiments into the woeful 1Scots etc in my opinion has curtailed the role that family has played in recruitment , as an ex Argyll I would not have joined a reg that said 5Scots as it has no family’/ region connection for me, and the history of the reg is a footnote. I’m sure that this is the same for all the tradional line reg throughout the UK
[…] The campaign is comprised of a series of posters and adverts and designed to show that the Army looks beyond stereotypes and recognises peoples “need for a bigger sense of purpose”, according to British Army Major General Paul Nanson. […]