Army Targets Youth Lacking Self-Confidence In New Recruitment Advert

The British Army has launched a new advertising campaign targeting youths lacking in self-confidence.

The 'confidence that lasts a lifetime' advert sees a soldier approached by various people who tempt him with seemingly short-term self-esteem fixes, such as workout plans, binge drinking, fast fashion and social media.

It ends by saying: "Lots of things can give you confidence, for a little while. But confidence that lasts a lifetime? There's one place you'll find that."

The recruitment drive stems from research which indicates that young people feel they are held back by a lack of self-confidence.

Nick Terry of Capita - the company behind the campaign - said they were targeting people 'who didn't necessarily see the army as their first port of call'.

He said: "The recruitment campaign evolves each year and we are looking to build on the success of last year where applications reached a five-year high and 1.5 million people visited the recruitment website in January alone.

"We had to go with a slightly different message. They needed a bit more persuading and convincing that the army was right for them."

ARMYjobs

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the advert reflects the 'unique opportunities' offered by a career in the army.

He said: "I know from my own experience the confidence, self-belief and camaraderie a career in the armed forces can offer.

"The latest army recruitment campaign reflects these unique opportunities and I hope it will build on the success of last year's campaign, which led to a record number of applications in recent years."

The success of adverts such as this are becoming increasingly important, as last year the size of Britain's armed forces fell for a ninth consecutive year.

In July 2019, there were 74,440 full-time and fully-trained troops, down from 76,880 last year.

In the 12 months to August 2019, 13,520 people joined the regular armed forces - an increase of 1,593 compared to the previous year. However, 14,880 people also left - up from 14,860 in 2018.

In recent years, the army has made numerous changes in order to aid recruitment, including speeding up application times, loosening its approach to minor ailments such as eczema, and introducing development courses to help those who may not meet fitness and literacy requirements.

And as of 30th November 2019, applications to join all streams of the army were up four percent on the previous year and the recruitment pipeline is the most flexible it has ever been.

September 2019 also saw 1,500 new recruits starting basic training, the highest monthly total since 2009 which counted for 16% of the Recruiting Year 2019/20's overall target.

You can find out more about the campaign and applying to join the army here.

Topics: UK News, army

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey