If The Army Can't "be The Best" Who Can?

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/defence-secretary-halts-plan-to-scrap-be-the-best-slogan-11183651
Thankfully the defence secretary has seen sense.

[woofgang]

Its a marketing exercise designed to get recruits. if its not getting the recruits they want then its a waste of money.

[douglas9401]

"Market research in May 17 found that Be the Best did not resonate with many of our key audiences and was considered dated, elitist and non-inclusive"

Christ on a bike! If this is the opinion of the policy makers in the armed forces we'd be as well just giving up and scrap the lot.

Maybe get them to stand a few more paces from the drinks cabinet at their next meeting.

[mikey4444]

Elitist ?

What a load of old pony this is !

[Old_Geezer]

What folk think should be the case, if something makes folk feel excluded rather than attract them, then it's failed in it's objective; and one changes a losing strategy. But someone may prevent it for emotional reasons. Whatever the issue is, it remains.

[mushroom25]

I'm at a complete loss to understand how the lion and crossed swords could be made "inclusive" - are we talking transgender lion? or lion in a burkha?

[jno]

are they the best? Have they won any recent wars?

[Everhelpful]

With all the cuts to Defence,you would think they would have better things to spend the money on.

[ToraToraTora]

ah bless thought it wouldn't take long for the anti British to chime in. I'm honoured to get their chief jno! I knew you wouldn't let me down!

[Spicerack]

jno
//are they the best? Have they won any recent wars?//

Yes and yes.

[New Judge]

“if something makes folk feel excluded rather than attract them, then it's failed in it's objective;”

I disagree. If being the thought of being among “the best” makes potential recruits feel excluded then it’s achieved its aim. The Army only wants the best and if it begins to recruit delicate flowers who faint at the idea of being among probably the best trained armed forces in the world they may as well turn it in.

BTW, you don’t measure the effectiveness or standard of an army by how many wars it has recently won.

[dannyk13]

Being the best encourages recruits to feel pride in enlistment to the armed services.

[douglas9401]

are they the best? Have they won any recent wars?

They are and they have. Any problems seem to stem from politicians putting their oar in in a desire to be all cuddly wuddly with those who would challenge us in our endeavours once the shooting stops.

[KARL]

Being one of several claiming to be the best is unlikely to impress, but that is also unlikely to deter those making the claim. It is simply a declared fact until disproved and because it is a desired fact the burden of proof is insurmountable because no amount of proof will suffice. Discussing whether something self-declared as the best actually is the best is a waste of time and energy - and decidedly anti-British.

[ToraToraTora]

karl, bang on!

[Old_Geezer]

The aim is to attract recruits. It's the army's job to turn them into "the best".

[New Judge]

So those who feel "excluded" by the thought of joining "the best" are still welcome to apply? Wasting everybody's time I fancy.

[foxspur]

And the alternative? Be quite average, or even less than average - then you won't feel excluded. Do we really want our army composed of no hopers?

[woofgang]

This is not about who or what is "the best", or about the "feelings" of the Defence Secretary or anyone else. The Army want more recruits than they are getting so one of the things they looked at was their ad campaign. The ad campaign appears not to be working because the target "customers" feel alienated by the slogan. Just like Marks and sparks or any other big business which advertises, the ad campaign must deliver the outcome they are paying for....and if it doesn't you change it to one that does. "Feelings" don't come into it.

[ToraToraTora]

"The ad campaign appears not to be working because the target "customers" feel alienated by the slogan." - I would venture that the army would not want anyone alienated by that slogan.

[coldstream-1971]

yes they have jno falklands 1982