The U.S. Army recently released a new advertising video targeting young people living in a society crippled by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The short video, titled "Unbelievable," is the latest addition to the "What's Your Warrior" ad campaign, which is designed to show members of Generation Z how their service is needed.
The video first aired Friday on YouTube and is making its way around social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It features stark images that hint at post-apocalyptic life due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shows soldiers with medical and research specialties responding to the crisis.
The Army launched the "What's Your Warrior" campaign Nov. 11, focused on trying to get young people to think about what type of warrior is inside them.
"We don't want to sound opportunistic at all but, at the same time, we are very involved in the fight. The Army has a role in this," said Laura DeFrancisco, spokeswoman for the Army Enterprise Marketing Office.
The video flashes the message, "When the unbelievable happens ... the unbelievable rise to meet it."
"There is the one shot of the soldier looking at a microscope; that is real world," DeFrancisco said. "But just in general being a part of an organization that is involved in something that supports your community right here at home, which is an unusual role, especially for the active Army."
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The Army has deployed thousands of National Guard and Reserve soldiers in communities across the country, as well as hundreds of active-duty troops to provide medical support to hospitals trying to cope with the virus.
The video's eerie background music, which builds in intensity, "was actually done for us by [Atticus Ross from] Nine Inch Nails," DeFrancisco said. Ross, an English musician from the alternative rock band, wrote and performed the music for the ad.
"He created it for us just in the last two to three weeks," she said.
The Army tested out the concept for the video last week by running 15-second, picture-to-picture stories on Instagram with the same "call to service" theme, DeFrancisco said.
"We were getting really good response from that, so that's why we went forward with this video," she said.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct a quote and clarify who wrote and performed the music for the ad.
-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
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