A recent $11 million advertising deal between the U.S. Army and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, along with his United Football League (UFL), appears to have backfired, potentially damaging recruiting efforts, according to documents obtained by Military.com.
The contract, signed earlier this year, included an arrangement for Johnson to post five Army advertisements on his Instagram account, with each post valued at $1 million. However, Johnson only posted two of the planned ads. Additionally, the UFL, a minor league football organization co-owned by Johnson, was tasked with displaying military ads during games and on players’ uniforms.
The outcome of this deal was reportedly so disastrous that the Army believes it may have lost 38 potential enlistments instead of gaining thousands of new recruits. As a result, the Army is now seeking to recover its investment.
Colonel Dave Butler commented on the situation, stating, “In terms of The Rock, it’s unfortunate he was pulled away at a time when we expected him to be present with us to create content for his social media channels.” Despite this, Butler added, “The Rock remains a good partner to the Army.”
Low attendance at UFL games further exacerbated concerns about the effectiveness of the advertising deal. According to the obtained documents, the Army aims to recoup $6 million from the UFL deal and $5 million from the agreement with Johnson.
This advertising debacle comes amidst ongoing recruitment challenges for all branches of the military, with the Army missing its recruitment target by 10,000 soldiers in 2023, according to Military.com.
