Army Fights to Sell Itself to the Parents of America [View All]

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http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/admark/la-na-armyads22aug22,1,6024991.story?coll=la-headlines-business-advert&ctrack=1&cset=true

As brand manager for the Army's advertising account at Leo Burnett Inc., a Chicago ad agency, DeThorne's job is to sell the Army. And these days, it's a difficult product to sell.

In marketing terms, the Army is a troubled brand. The daily images of violence from Iraq are scaring away potential recruits for the service that has shouldered the largest burden there.

The Army does not expect to meet any of its 2005 recruiting goals for the active, Reserve and National Guard ranks, and Army officials have said that next year the gap is likely to be greater.

This year, DeThorne will spend more than $200 million of the Army's money — the U.S. government's largest advertising contract — to try to reverse that trend and sell the nation on the benefits of military service.