The Army spent $11 million on a recruitment campaign featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the United Football League (UFL). Military.com reports that the Army needed to gain one recruit from the multi-million dollar investment.
Impact on Recruitment
In addition to netting zero recruits, analysts believe the significant outlay may have resulted in a net negative impact on recruitment, according to internal Army documents reviewed by Military.com.
Internal Estimates
Internal Army documents reviewed show that the service estimates that they lost 38 enlistments through the cost of the investment in the failed UFL marketing strategy.
They arrived at this catastrophic figure by assessing where time, effort, and money could be better spent to win over recruits through other mediums. The Army may be seeking a partial refund for the failed marketing scheme.
Marketing Arrangement
The arrangement involved advertising throughout the inaugural season of the UFL, an alternative to the NFL that did not attract a significant viewership. Johnson owns the UFL, and the marketing deal agreed to involve Johnson’s brand ambassadorship for the Army, a relationship the Army claims Johnson could have performed more fully than expected.
According to the marketing arrangement, the Army required Johnson to publish an exact number of social media posts about the Army. The service now suggests that Johnson did not fulfill his part of the agreement.
Recruitment Crisis
The recruitment campaign’s dismal performance highlights the larger recruitment crisis facing the Army, which, like many historic institutions, is struggling to adjust to the newer marketing strategies and trends younger consumers and potential recruits expect.
Advertisement Budget
The military still spends a large portion of its advertisement budget on cable TV ads and traditional broadcasts like sports. However, this is a mismatch with the viewing activities of the military’s target demographic Gen Z.
Gen Z is less likely to watch live sports compared to older generations—33 percent of Gen Z do not watch live sports at all, according to a 2022 Morning Consult poll. Rather than watching cable TV and traditional sports broadcasts, Gen Z consumes media in a way that confounds the Army.
One reason is that Gen Z spends significant time on TikTok, but the Pentagon has banned the defense sectors from using TikTok due to national security concerns.
UFL Game Views
The Army relied on views of the UFL game, as they used their budget on branding during football games and placement of ads on players’ uniforms.
Army market analysis shows that the UFL advertising deal was half the cost of the Army’s deal with the NCAA, but the NCAA has ten times the viewership of the UFL, which factors into calculations of the value of advertising dollars.
Celebrity Appeal
They also hoped Johnson’s celebrity would promote the Army brand. The service calculated that “The Rock” appealed to many generations and a wide cross-section of demographics. Johnson boasts 396 million Instagram followers, and the Army judged that posts by “The Rock” would be seen by many of them and that many would follow through with recruitment efforts.
The Army contract with Johnson involved five different social media posts, and Johnson was compensated $1 million for each post. Army documents reveal, however, that Johnson only posted two of the five contracted social media posts.
Recouping Funds
This is the defense the Army plans to use as it attempts to recoup $6 million from the failed recruitment deal.
Official Statements
Army spokesman Laura DeFrancisco said, “We are working with the UFL to determine the final cost.”
Internal Caution
Army staff allegedly cautioned the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, against entering into a deal with the UFL due to the sport’s low viewership and the high cost of the contract. Marketing estimates projected that the investment dollars would likely only return a few recruits.
Similar Past Arrangements
They based their caution on a similar arrangement the National Guard entered into with NASCAR for $88 million, which only led to one recruit.
Johnson’s Social Media Posts
Johnson’s two social media posts were published in April and earlier. One featured Johnson with Army generals, and a second showcased his visit to Walter Reed Military Medical Center.
Future Actions
Army spokesman Col. Dave Butler said, “In terms of The Rock, it’s unfortunate he was pulled away when we expected him to be present with us to create content for his social media channels. But we’re working with the UFL to rebalance the contract. The Rock remains a good partner to the Army.”
