British Army’s new ad tackles longstanding gender stereotypes

The latest in the This is Belonging campaign, A Soldier is a Soldier forms part of a wider recruitment drive designed to attract more women to the army

In its ongoing This is Belonging recruitment campaign, the British Army is attempting to demonstrate how everyone’s potential and skills are spotted, nurtured and valued. Previous ads in the series have focused on subjects including confidence and failure.

In the latest ad, A Soldier is a Soldier, it turns its attention to existing perceptions and gender stereotypes. Developed by longstanding agency partner Karmarama, the spot stresses that soldiers are defined by their skills and not their gender.

Running across cinema, video-on-demand, radio, and social media, the film is narrated by serving women soldiers and features scenes mocking gender stereotypes including showing a wound that is held together with stitches that spell out ‘good for a woman’, beach body rations and a rifle with an “easy-pull trigger for smaller hands”.

Through the ad, the Army is hoping to show its ongoing commitment to addressing the gender balance in its ranks. This year, it is looking to encourage more women to apply to join, with female representation currently only at 9.8% in the British Army and 14.2% in the Army Reserves.

Credits:
Creative Agency: Karmarama
CCO: Nik Studzinski
ECD: Adam Kean
Creative Directors: Meigan Brown, Tobias Owen
Production Company: K-Studios
Director: Hannah Berry George