The Army faced a critical challenge. They needed new recruits to join their ranks in 2020, but as one of Britain’s oldest institutions trying to recruit the young generation Z, this was no simple task. We needed to forge fresh relevance with the young audience today, and drive increased application numbers.

‘Army Confidence’ is the creative idea at the heart of this spot. A lifelong self-belief that soldiers develop through their career in the Army and with the support of their team. It’s a confidence that lasts far longer than the quick-fix solutions we are so often sold in the civilian world. From alcohol filling you with self-belief for a night to fast fashion outfits that temporarily inflate our egos. Or the addictive boosts of social media likes and unsustainable body transformations. This idea shows how all these fast fixes of confidence fade away, but a soldier’s training, support and achievements never do. The confidence that the Army instils in their soldiers is no quick fix, it comes from somewhere deeper and it means far more.

To meet rising recruitment targets in a competitive job market, we needed to show what the Army could offer our Generation Z audience that they couldn’t find elsewhere.

In a world where quick-fix confidence boosts surrounded our audience in fast fashion and social media, but 80% of 16-24s said lasting confidence was hard to find, the Army offered something far bigger.

Interviews with serving soldiers revealed a different kind of confidence in the Army. It takes time to earn, through training, challenges and making a difference. It grows stronger with support, and belonging in a team that believes in you. And once you find it, it stays with you.

The strategy was to show how belonging in a team that believes in you unlocks a powerful sense of confidence that lasts.

In this TV spot we follow a soldier, on an operation far from home. But this is no ordinary battle. As the enemies he faces are the false promises of ‘quick-fix confidence boosts.’ Figures appear trying to tempt our soldier away from his mission, with different forms of fast-fix confidence. A muscular personal trainer lures him with a 6-week body transformation. But our soldier carries on. A group on a night out tries to distract him, buzzing with inflated self-belief. He ignores them. An influencer promising fast fashion is the fix he needs pursues him, but can’t keep up. A flood of addictive pings from social media notifications tries to confuse him. But a supportive soldier appears by his side, bringing him back to reality. Our soldier raises his head high, demonstrating an unshakeable confidence that belonging in the Army gives.

During the first 2 weeks of launch, there were 310 pieces of coverage across the globe, with a PR reach of 1.9 billion

In the first week after launch, the record for the highest number of applications to join the Army in a single day was broken 3 times. These were all higher than any day in the previous 8 years.

After 3 months, the Army surpassed 100% of its annual recruiting target for soldiers, for the first time in 8 years.

After a year, Regular Soldier applications were 15% higher Year on Year. This was the highest number of applications received since 2012.