U.S. Army:
Be All You Can Be
Here at Team DDB, we kicked off a 20-year, all-encompassing brand positioning extravaganza! We resurrected the iconic 1980s “Be all you can be” slogan, giving it a fresh twist for today’s skeptical youth.
Over at The Marketing Arm (Team DDB’s experiential experts), we've been busy exploring and creating mind-blowing experiences for the "Be All You Can Be" campaign. We're helping young Americans get up close and personal with the US Army in an immersive and authentic fashion, uncovering a world of possibilities, and showing that there's so much more to the Army than Gen Z ever imagined.
U.S. Army Experiences:
The Impossible Shot
The House of Possibilities
The Foxtrot Hotel
The Impossible Kick
U.S. Army The Impossible Shot
NCAA March Madness, 2023
At the biggest basketball event in the United States, the NCAA March Madness, we challenge spectators with an impossible stunt: sinking a shot in a 40-foot-high hoop. Fans tried the free-throw, but the majority failed (as expected). The seemingly impossible shot only became possible with the power, resources, ingenuity, and teamwork of the U.S. Army. Using military-replica javelins, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and the mule + jugs machine, participants worked together with soldiers to successfully complete the mission.
Guests left the experience with a clear message: the Army helps you achieve the impossible and reach your full potential.
Celebrity partnership: Grant Hill, former professional NBA player, and Marshall Plumlee, former professional NBA player.
Feats of strength, precision, intelligence, and teamwork that can only happen in the Army.
Gen Z basketball fans love show-stopping stunts and trick shots (Dude perfect and Harlem Globetrotters are prime examples). This audience doesn’t really love the Army though - they believe it’s an outdated institution that would limit their potential. The NCAA March Madness environment was a good opportunity to reintroduce the Army as a team-oriented, innovative organization with limitless possibilities.
The House of Possibilities
NCAA March Madness, Women’s Championship, 2023
We crafted an immersive brand experience for the NCAA March Madness Women's Championship that was nothing short of epic. The "House of Possibilities" plunged attendees into the thrilling sights and sounds of real U.S. Army missions. With three cutting-edge, immersive rooms filled with state-of-the-art technology and practical effects, we went beyond the typical photo op, making everyone feel like a true, badass soldier.
Visitors walked away seeing themselves in a whole new light, realizing they were capable of more than they ever imagined. It wasn't just about changing perceptions of the Army; it was about transforming how they saw themselves.
Celebrity partnership: Grant Hill, former professional NBA player.
A hyper-stylized, instagrammable photo tableau of adventures you could ONLY have in the Army.
Gen Z sees the Army as a place that limits possibilities, rather than a place that defends, pursues, or promotes possibility. This activation presents the Army as a literal house of possibilities — career opportunities, missions, adventures, destinations, and experiences across the globe.
Operation Black Forest: 12M Firefighter
Operation Deep Blue: 12D Diver
Operation Thin Air: 92R Parachute rigger
