The U.S. Army is using its classic “Be All You Can Be” slogan in recruiting ads for the first time since 2001.
During a recent event marking the Army’s new ad campaign in Washington, D.C., Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the service tested multiple recruiting slogans, but found the classic slogan resonated best with people of all ages.
The audience at the event burst into applause and someone shouted “Hooah” after the Army played a new video featuring the tagline “Be All You Can Be.”
According to Task&Purpose, the tagline is part of the service’s new $117 million campaign and includes two ads, “Overcoming obstacles” and “Pushing Tomorrow,” both of which are narrated by actor Jonathan Majors.
Wormuth touched on the past failures of certain slogans, commenting, “I was a little puzzled when ‘Army of One’ came out because it’s an Army; and we’re a big Army. We’re not as big an Army right now as we have been at moments in the past, but I think ‘Army of One’ was a little bit of a head-scratcher for a lot of people.”
Seargent Major of the Army Michael Grinston made the audience erupt with laughter after stating that he too was confused about the “Army of One” slogan after seeing a soldier go through the desert without a helmet.
“Nobody knew what was going on,” he said.
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Grinston mentioned how the slogan resonates and inspires people across multiple generations to be the best versions of themselves.
“I want my daughters to be better than I was,” Grinston added.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville explained that the “Army of One” campaign was meant to portray soldiers as individuals who are still a part of one team in the Army.
“I have seen all these campaigns over the last 20 years, and it’s always come back to ‘Be All You Can Be,’” McConville added.
