United States Army: Be All You Can Be campaign

In the 1980s, the expectation of a coming manpower shortfall prompted the U.S. Army to place a renewed emphasis on recruitment advertising.

United States Army: Be All You Can Be campaign

Robert Schnakenberg

Overview

In the 1980s, the expectation of a coming manpower shortfall prompted the U.S. Army to place a renewed emphasis on recruitment advertising. There were two primary causes of this shortfall. First, economic gains made by the lower and middle classes of American society had rendered military compensation noncompetitive relative to civilian earnings. This factor was of paramount importance to potential recruits. In addition, there was a continuing decline in the population of eligible males suitable for recruitment into the U.S. Army.

The army's ad campaign, crafted by New...

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