French Land Army Asks Young People: Are You Ready to Step Up?

Dentsu Creative unveils a new recruitment strategy for the Land army, aiming to meet the goal of enlisting 16,000 new soldiers and 5,000 reservists each year. This campaign marks the beginning of a new operational cycle and a major transformation of the Army. Launched on September 13th across metropolitan and overseas France, it will continue until the summer of 2028.

In an unstable geopolitical context and facing competition in the job market, the challenge is significant for the Army, France's leading recruiter. So, how to enhance the desirability of the Army and win over the hearts of young French people? How to authentically represent the reality of its missions while reflecting the power of commitment? And how to show that the aspirations of the new generations can be realised within the Army?

From a top down to a conversational approach

Following an in-depth analysis of various youth populations and the concept of commitment, the communication strategy is designed to specifically address the 'undecided' youth: those who have never considered the Army as a potential employer, or those who have misconceptions about the institution. The communication strategy is based on a simple equation: to provoke questioning about the Army, challenge preconceived ideas, and overcome indifference. It relies on revolutionary levers in their complementarity:

• A Psychological Lever: Reactance

The strategy is based on a simple principle: the more others think we are incapable of doing something, the more we want to prove that we can. By posing the somewhat provocative question, “Army of Land. Can you do it?”, the Army of Land challenges young people by questioning their ability to join its ranks. It empowers this generation by leaving them free to make their own choices. This questioning prompt young people to move away from passivity, consider becoming a potential candidate for the Army of Land, and start the recruitment process.

• A Tactical Lever: A Conversational Journey

Once the interest of young candidates is aroused, an entire digital and field ecosystem takes over to best answer their questions and guide them through a personalised journey. This ecosystem is designed to better qualify future candidates through micro-conversations, where each step is an information collection point (website visit, time spent, searches, etc.). This information allows for sending tailored content to candidates, answering all their questions, and especially helping them find their place among the 117 specialties offered by the Army of Land. Moreover, the Army of Land also relies on the upcoming redesign of the sengager.fr website for more immersion and insight into soldier professions. This site will address both candidates and their relatives. Applications, chatbots, personalised questionnaires, online training, and tests will also accompany recruiters’ daily actions in the field to maintain a motivating and reassuring connection with candidates.

From value based communication to experience based communication

Accepting to join the Land army means embracing a life of challenging, unexpected, and engaging adventure, but never boring. Dentsu Creative chooses to tell and show everything to project the future candidate into their real life as a soldier.

“We made the three films on military grounds with real soldiers. Even with a very cinematic image, we chose hyper-realism (no music, real sounds of the equipment, soldiers’ breaths…). The aim was never to embellish the reality of military life to attract candidates with full knowledge. The print visuals tell a moment, in the spirit of a photo novel. The hooks affirm a reality and the signature concludes as a challenge,” reveals Sébastien Zanini, CCO of Dentsu Creative France.

Exchanges and discussion at the heart of a strategy to involve prescribers

The recruitment goal of 16,000 new soldiers and 5,000 reservists relies not only on communication but also on recommendations from the education and employment sectors, as well as candidates’ relatives.

To address prescribers, Dentsu Creative collaborates with Wellcom in implementing a press relations campaign (national and regional). To show the reality on the ground, the floor is given to young recruits and the soldiers who welcome them, to create reassuring testimonies and encourage future soldiers in their integration process within the Army of Land.

To better identify candidates’ expectations and be closer to their daily reality, a thorough work is carried out to identify all information relays across all territories. Additionally, all Army of Land recruitment advisors are trained in a continuous improvement approach.

A powerful and experiential multichannel device

• A 'Determination Path': The challenge for young people will begin on September 13th through a course combining physical challenges and mental tests. This course will be deployed and amplified in several cities in France (Paris La Défense from September 13th to 15th, Nancy from September 20th to 22nd, Marseille from September 27th to 29th, Bordeaux from October 4th to 6th, Tours from October 11th to 13th). These events will be relayed by various national and local influencers through content creation shared on their accounts. Young people will thus have the opportunity to interact with Army of Land recruiters who aim to convince the hesitant.
• Three immersive films directed by Valentin Guiod, to reflect the raw and intense reality of life within the Army of Land. They will be broadcast through powerful channels and with strong affinities with the target audience (TV, Connected TV, streaming platforms, 4Dmax cinema, VOL and DOOH), from September 15th to October 13th.
• A deployment in classic and event-based OOH across the territory will showcase, in a very realistic iconographic style, the challenges and professions of the Army of Land.
• A base of digital levers, pillars of youth recruitment (social networks, lead ads, banners, native advertising, etc.), will be activated to engage them through a set of content. The use of a Customer Data Platform will allow analysing their behaviours and optimising the campaign’s effectiveness in real-time.

The entirety and originality of the approach lie in fully integrating channels, data, and content. Dentsu Creative worked closely with Dentsu Public (another entity of the Dentsu group), responsible for the strategy and media buying for the Human Resources Directorate of the Army of Land (DRHAT), and with the agency Wellcom for Public Relations.

“I am very proud to have created this ‘Dentsu Unit,’ a true multidisciplinary team bringing together all the talents and expertise necessary to serve this highly important mission that concerns us all, as communicators, human beings, and citizens,” adds Nathaël Duboc, CEO of Dentsu Creative France.