The A-list celeb the US Army hired in an $11M promotion that failed to bag a single recruit
For the Pentagon, this is yet another shocking case of purchase regret.
The U.S. Army struck a deal with the United Football League (UFL) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the league faced a massive recruiting crisis.
But the high-profile deal fell through immediately, according to internal documents and emails seen by Military.com.
The wrestler and actor’s promotional posts on social media failed to yield any candidates, which may have led to fewer newcomers signing up.
The Pentagon reportedly struck a deal with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to promote the US military on his social media, but the star has reneged on it
Police are reportedly trying to recoup $6 million from the failed $11 million deal.
“We are in the process of working with the UFL to determine the final cost,” Army spokeswoman Laura DeFrancisco told the exhaust.
The UFL did not respond to The Mail’s requests for comment.
The Army earlier this year struck a deal with the UFL, a new minor league alternative to the NFL that has struggled to gain traction thus far.
The focus was on branding the Army during UFL matches, including having the logo appear on players’ uniforms.
But Johnson, the league’s superstar and co-owner, was also involved, expected to bolster a force that is still some 20,000 short of its recruiting goal.
The files show that Johnson would act as a kind of brand ambassador, posting five messages to his 396 million Instagram followers.
It was estimated that each post generated approximately $1 million in publicity.
However, it is alleged that the former WWE fighter only posted twice.
One of the photos showed him with several generals, including General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, who was involved in the promotional collaboration.
Another example was excerpts from his tour of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for George, said in a statement that it was “unfortunate” that Johnson “withdrew at a time when we expected him to be with us creating content for his social media channels.”
“But we are working with the UFL to rebalance the contract. The Rock continues to be a good partner for the military,” he added.
UFL owner Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson shakes hands with military personnel before a UFL game
Johnson is said to have posted only two of the five social media posts discussed in the deal
The files show that the UFL’s poor viewing figures and Johnson’s failure to inform the situation led to accusations within the military.
By one count, the police ended up with 38 fewer recruits than they would have gotten if they had spent their money and promotions elsewhere.
The emails show that some military officials had been warning all along that the venture was doomed to failure.
They said UFL’s viewing figures were too low to justify the multi-million dollar price tag.
One insider critic compared it to the National Guard’s $88 million NASCAR sponsorship, which also failed to produce a single recruit.
For example, another of the Army’s promotional deals with the NCAA costs about twice as much as the UFL deal but draws ten times as many viewers to the service.
Other reports indicate that there are problems dealing with the ‘inexperienced’ UFL staff and that communication with them is often poor.
The files paint a picture of a service that, amid major changes in the media landscape, is looking for new ways to reach new employees.
The military typically promotes itself through cable television commercials and through deals with traditional television sports broadcasts.
But the Gen Z youth they want in military uniforms are now busy with social media and their mobile phones.
Johnson may have been recruited in an effort to get the parents of potential recruits excited about military careers for their Gen Z children.
Army leaders have spoken of challenges in recruiting, leading to a shortage of as many as 15,000 soldiers last year. Pictured: Army recruiters at a career fair in Michigan
According to a survey of more than 7,400 personnel for Blue Star Families, only one-third of military families today would recommend a career in uniform
A member of the 82nd Airborne Division feeds her five-month-old child at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where poverty, hardship and food insecurity are widespread
Megan Sweeney, a former federal communications adviser, said the failed deal showed how little knowledge the military had about social media collaborations with major celebrities.
“While the Army may have thought they were getting The Rock, what they were really getting was a partnership with a minor football league,” Sweeney told Fortune.
“The Rock is an investor in the UFL, but he’s not on the sidelines for every game. As a result, it looks like the Army paid Hollywood-level sponsorship dollars for minor-league exposure.”
The U.S. military is facing a recruiting crisis as Gen Zers are less likely than previous generations to sulk in uniform and risk their lives in combat.
Worse still, many of them are simply not fit enough to enlist.
Meanwhile, those currently weaving are warning potential recruits not to sign up.
The latest survey shows that barely a third of military families would recommend a career in uniform, highlighting the problems at the Pentagon.
In 2016, more than half of them spoke positively about a military career.
They said life was getting worse as soldiers’ wives could not find work, health care was poor and housing was poor.
This is evident from a survey among more than 7,400 employees of Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization.
This undermines US efforts to maintain a military edge over strategic competitor China.