The United States Army recently changed their primary ad slogan from “An Army of One” to one they hope will deliver a more aggressive message, “Army Strong.” Sounds like something a neanderthal would say… “grr… me army, me strong.” No offense to our troops at all. But this slogan switch could have been done with a little more class. The new approach will deliver a $200 million-a-year contract with a major advertising agency. “Army Strong” will be the centerpiece of a multimedia ad campaign to launch November 9th just in time for Veteran’s Day.

It’s about time that the U.S. Army stepped up their advertising campaign. In 2005, there was the largest margin between projected and actual recruits in over 20 years. In part, the U.S Army was able to close that gap with larger financial inventives to sign up 80,000 new recruits.

The “Army Strong” slogan was developed by McCann Worldgroup, the communications firm the U.S. Army hired last year after that large margin disappointment. The slogan was developed to convey a message that if you join the army you will build a strong body, mind, and spirit.

I will still hold my beliefs that the best motivator and mentor for a young person’s direction in life is college. But for those who cannot afford college or need serious direction in their life, the U.S. Army and Prison are the best options.