Army Campaign Live from Afghanistan
This week ground-breaking TV adverts were aired live from military operations in Afghanistan. The ads were broadcast on UK TV channel ITV as part of a brand new campaign by Capita plc in partnership with the Army Recruiting Group to encourage more people to join the Territorial Army (TA). The campaign was announced by Defence Minister Mark Francois and the Deputy Commander of Land Forces (Reserves) Major General Ranald Munro.
In the first of its kind for the military, the innovative, attention-grabbing adverts have been broadcast live from operations in Afghanistan and will kick start the brand new TA LIVE campaign.
The adverts capture TA soldiers going about their everyday duties as Reservists in Afghanistan alongside their Regular counterparts. With each advert running for approximately one minute, the viewer is transported directly to the front line. There they witness first hand how people with very similar lives to theirs are volunteering to serve their country as a fulfilling second career.
The TA LIVE campaign has been coordinated by Capita plc who is responsible for attraction activity as part of a project delivering recruiting services for the Army. Capita’s programme of activity represents a major investment in the transformation of military recruiting.
The ground-breaking advertising campaign, created by JWT London with production partner ITN Productions, also comprises multi-channel above-the-line and below-the-line communications including a custom YouTube channel, electronic direct mails, print toolkits, employer communications and over 150 experiential regional events taking place across the UK throughout February, March and April.
TA LIVE campaign illustrates the huge range of exciting opportunities available to Reservists and help encourage more people to consider joining the TA, which is set to increase to 30,000 members by 2018. The live sixty seconds vignettes from live operations will ran last weekend and more will run this week.
Major General Ranald Munro, Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) said:
“There has never been an advertising campaign like this. TA LIVE is an incredibly exciting opportunity to bring the TA to life and show just what a TA soldier does on the ground. We think this is a great way to demonstrate and educate the public about the role of the TA and the vital contribution they make to the UK Armed Forces. I know that there are plenty of people around the country who can play a key role in shaping the future of the Army.”
Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Mark Francois said:
“As a former TA soldier myself, I understand the dedication required but I also know how incredibly rewarding and exciting it can be. It is a career that could take you to new countries, will equip you with new skills and will give you an invaluable bond with new friends. We are building an integrated Future Force with a greater reliance on the Reserves and to do this we are investing an additional £1.8 billion over ten years to improve their training and equipment. This campaign is another step towards this goal and I would encourage everyone watching at home or attending one of the regional events to seriously consider serving with the TA.”
Zoe Boustead, marketing director, for Army recruiting Group said:
“The members of the Territorial Army are trained and ready to serve as regular soldiers, but not everyone appreciates that. The creative idea behind the campaign is to show our target audience that while they are sitting at home watching TV, people just like them are actively participating as reservists. TA LIVE is not just a TV advertising campaign, it will continue to promote the TA over the forthcoming months through a range of activities and events where potential recruits can find out more about the TA and talk to TA soldiers. TA units and local communities from all over the country are already backing the campaign and are taking part in over 150 demonstrations and public events at popular regional spots to show what the TA is all about.”
TA Live Credits List
Project name: TA LIVE
Overall Campaign:
Client and Job Title: Zoe Boustead, Marketing Director, Army Recruiting Group
Creative agency: JWT London
Executive Creative Director: Russell Ramsey
Creative Directors: Hugh Todd & Adam Scholes
Art Director/Creative Director: Anita Davis
Copy Writer/Creative Director: Jonathan Budds
Business Director in Charge: Pete Womersley
Business Director: Michael Abbott
Planning Director: Lee McEwan
Account Director: Emily Medhurst
Account Manager: Georgina King
Media Planning Agency: Mediacom
Media Planners: Louise Goodman and Matt Weller
Media Buying Agency: M4C
TV:
JWT Integrated Production Director/Producer: Toby Clifton
Live Broadcast & Post Production: ITN Productions
ITN Executive Producer: Derek Dyson
ITN Producer: Chris Church
Director: Nick Murphy
Line Producer: Derek Tedder
Cameraman/DP: Kevin Capon
Satellite Engineer: Steve Ryder
Media Buyer: Kevin West
Promo Ads & Title Sequences:
Director / Lead Motion Graphics / Sound Design: James Keane
Additional Graphics: Lizzy Rowlatt
Digital Experience & Social Media:
Executive Digital Creative: Ricardo Figueira
Account Directors: Neil Brice and Emily Medhurst
Account Managers: John DeGraft Johnson, Georgina King and Siobhan Filmore
Art Director: Lewis Bish
Copywriter: Chris Chance
Digital Project Manager: Charlie Marshall
Designer: Jamie Green
Developers: Ben Garraud and Mickael Coelho
Planners: Kimberly Douglas and Malky Brown
eCRM:
Account Director: Patrick Dent
Copywriter: Ewan Macmillan
Account Managers: Georgina King and Siobhan Filmore
Experiential:
Head of Experiential: Jonathan Terry
Experiential Producers: David Naylor and Morten Josefsen
Art Director: Chris Jones
Copywriter: Kell Cowan-Lunam
Project Manager: Louise Tench
