Amid a controversial war on terror, recruiting Army soldiers has never been more difficult. Army discovered that influencers (parents/mentors of potential recruits) largely define recruits’ views of the military and propensity to join. Army sought to "influence the Influencers," assembling a multi-disciplinary team to get the job done.

We expanded a sponsorship to 30 minutes of content during programmed time for one-third the price. Army recruiting called it “Compelling beyond belief for those who wear the uniform … wonderful work that we must share with our Army and our future soldiers,” making it mandatory viewing for basic trainees.

With shifting perceptions, standard spots would not resonate with the Influencers. A content integration opportunity was developed to surround Band of Brothers, creating more than 30 minutes of material containing testimony from this generation of soldiers as they relate with WWII heroes while enhancing the viewing experience for Influencers. This opportunity presented today’s Army as a living, engaging brand, with connections that span generations, and reinforce the similarities of both groups of soldiers.

On-air content included the Band of Brothers Preview Show, a 22-minute programme featuring modern soldiers relating Band of Brothers moments to their own Army experiences, and soldier-hosted recaps/teasers, one-minute segments bookending each Band of Brothers episode to keep viewers apprised of series happenings in a modern context. Online, current soldier stories were distributed as broadband content through the WWII section of The History Channel’s Web site, a personalized portal for Influencers.

Research revealed a generational disconnect: Influencers did not hold today's Army in the same high esteem in which they held WWII soldiers. It was apparent that the disparity with these two generation’s bands of brothers needed to be eliminated if this group of Influencers were to positively affect the attitudes of potential recruits.

Recognizing that shifting perceptions and establishing a critical link between today’s military and the honorable soldiers of WWII would require more than traditional inventory, Army utilized a uniquely appropriate property: Band of Brothers, an epic mini-series making its basic cable debut on The History Channel.