French land army - "Are you in?" Officer or Non-Commissioned Officer recruitment campaign

Dentsu Creative unveils a new recruitment campaign for the French Army, aiming to attract2,500 officers and non-commissioned officers.
This initiative is part of a broader ambition:recruiting 16,000 new soldiers every year across all specialties.

Faced with the growing challenge of recruitment—particularly for officers and NCOs—the French Army is intensifying its communication efforts to attract and inform young talents eager to commit and take on responsibilities in service of the Nation.

In an unstable geopolitical context and a competitive job market, the challenge is significant for France’s largest recruiter. Each year, the institution targets16,000 recruits, including2,500 officers and NCOs, offering young people real career development opportunities. Joining the Army means taking on challenges, ensuring France’s operational capability, and engaging in meaningful missions.

But to appeal to this new generation, one major question arises:how to make the Army more desirable?
How to show the reality of its missions authentically while reflecting the strength of commitment?
And how to prove that the deep aspirations of young French citizens can find fulfillment within the military institution?

Recruit, Train, Elevate: The Army’s Commitment to Youth

To meet these challenges, the Army continues its communication campaign targeting young people aged 17 to 32, inviting them to explore opportunities on the newsengager.frwebsite.
Objective:16,000 new recruits per year, including nearly2,500 officers and NCOs(932 officers and 1,555 NCOs) in fields such as maintenance, IT systems, communications, and finance. Scientific and technical profiles are particularly sought after in a highly competitive environment linked to the private sector.

The institution stands out for its ability to identify potential, train them, and quickly entrust them with responsibilities. Its network of command schools proves this: ENSOA (National School for Active NCOs) in Saint-Maixent-l’École, the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, and EMPT (Technical Preparatory Military School) in Bourges, which prepares future NCOs for careers in maintenance, electromechanics, IT systems, communications, and energy—combining academic rigor with military training.

Through these programs, young people can quickly access leadership positions. The Army thus bets on youth by offering everyone the chance to progress, regardless of background or origin. This dynamic also relies on the concept of a“social ladder”, valuing effort, fairness, and individual recognition. Every soldier can evolve throughout their career based on skills and motivation.

A Campaign at the Heart of Command and Soldiers’ Daily Life

This campaign aims to raise awareness of leadership roles within the Army, emphasizing that responsibility can begin as early as the rank of sergeant. Three specific roles—cyber defense, maintenance, and section leader in combined arms combat—illustrate the exercise of authority and responsibility. They showcase the daily life of soldiers in these positions, often unknown to the public, as well as the commitment they require.

The campaign has been widely broadcasted through TV spots (three distinct films), outdoor advertising, digital platforms, and social media (TikTok, Snapchat, META, BeReal) to reach young audiences where they are most active.

The tone of this campaign continues the communication platform launched in September 2024. The strategy leverages a powerful psychological trigger:reactance—the universal principle that the more we are told we cannot succeed, the more we want to prove the opposite.

This mechanism is expressed through the interrogative tagline:“French Army. Can You Do It?”, the campaign’s guiding thread until summer 2028. By posing the question directly, the Army challenges youth, invites them to join, and empowers them by leaving the choice of commitment in their hands.

To reinforce this impact, the campaign focuses onauthenticity. The films adopt a raw, cinematic aesthetic, featuring real soldiers rather than actors. The deliberate absence of music enhances sobriety and portrays military life without artifice.

Beyond visuals, the campaign reflects the Army’s new identity as an employer. It aims to help future soldiers understand what they will find when joining and the commitments the institution makes toward them.

Finally, this communication strategy marks a shift: moving from top-down messaging to aconversational approach. Based on an in-depth analysis of young people’s expectations and their relationship to commitment, it primarily targets the “undecided”—those who had never considered the Army as an employer or had a distorted image of it.

The goal: spark curiosity, challenge preconceptions, and break indifference.

A Raw and Authentic Immersion into Army Life

Joining the Army means choosing a life of adventure—demanding, sometimes difficult and unexpected, but never boring. With this campaign, Dentsu Creative chose to show reality as it is, immersing future candidates in the true life of a soldier.

“In this new chapter of the ‘Can You Do It?’ campaign, we portrayed the raw reality of soldiers’ missions. This time, we wanted to show future recruits that leadership, exemplarity, authority, and composure are also major challenges,” explains Sébastien Zanini, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative France.