Publicis London has unveiled the latest episode of its ambitious “DO MORE. BE MORE” campaign aimed at recruiting new soldiers to the Territorial Army.

The TVC, which airs from this week, shows a team of TA soldiers as they battle to successfully put up a 96-sheet poster deep in the Brecon Beacons, and is supported online and in social media by AKQA. The giant poster, the largest outdoor poster commonly used, was placed in Herberts Quarry, on The Black Mountain, where much of the Army’s elite training takes place.

The mission was conducted as a physical challenge for the soldiers to test their planning and logistical skills to the limit, showcasing just some of the many skills that TA soldiers possess, and with obvious parallels to real-life military scenarios such as setting up an observation or communications point. Most of the kit used to build the poster had to be carried by the team, including rigging, hinges and the 96-sheet advert, before the physically demanding construction could begin.

The idea to place the poster in such an extreme location intends to show how far from the everyday a career with the TA is; how anybody could put a poster on the High Street, but who else could put one on somewhere so challenging?

The new campaign features the strapline “DO MORE. BE MORE”, highlighting that soldiers in the TA can achieve great things. The TA is currently expanding and looking to recruit new soldiers. The winter weather was a force to be reckoned with as the team battled with the elements, including gale-force winds, snow, sleet, hail and lashing rain that constantly threatened to hamper the team’s progress. The team of 23 soldiers from the TA train with the Army in their spare time while maintaining civilian jobs. The team was handpicked from all over the country, and included engineers, drivers and students.

 The new campaign is currently being aired on TV, with the latest installment showing the mission being completed and the successful construction of the billboard. A full six-minute film of the mission is available on the Army website, also created by Publicis.

 The campaign is being supported by a social media campaign carried out by AKQA. Activity includes skill-based games that encourage the audience to interact and work alongside TA soldiers to complete a mission. The work utilises the official Army presences on Facebook and Twitter, which now have a combined audience of more than 750,000 people, and also leverages key influencers to raise the profile of #DoMoreBeMore. Potential recruits from the campaign will be driven through to the new recruitment site for the British Army.

 Colonel Stephen Potter, head of TA recruiting, said: “The TA is growing and we want to get the message out that we are recruiting. By joining the TA you can achieve so much more, both in your work and social life and I’m impressed by the team in achieving a really challenging task.  It’s the type of thing the TA is very good at – a diverse group of people pulling together and creating something special from the ordinary, while challenging expectations. It’s all about doing and being more.”

 The outdoor advertising company Clear Channel worked for free to develop a special prototype poster material designed to withstand the high winds and ravages of its extreme positioning. Derek Manns, Head of Create, Clear Channel said: “Clear Channel worked with the TA to provide a special prototype poster designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, demonstrating the TA’s tireless ability to rise to any challenge. Erecting the poster in the severe weather was a monumental achievement and will undoubtedly raise awareness for its recruitment campaign. We were delighted to work on such an inspirational campaign.”

Download PDF