The U.S. Army is hoping to recoup $6 million from the United Football League after a $11 million sponsorship deal failed to not only bring in any new recruits but actually lead to the loss of 38 enlistments.
League owner Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was an integral part of the Army’s deal, as he agreed to make five posts promoting the Army on his social media page. However, Johnson did not hold up his end of the bargain and only made two posts.
Documents show the Army valued each post at a million dollars, Military.com reported. With over 396 million followers on Instagram, the Army saw Johnson’s popularity and high-profile status in the entertainment industry as influential in the Army’s recruitment efforts.
There was concern about partnering with UFL, the minor league version of the National Football League, given the recently created franchise’s low viewerships. A merger between the Extreme Football League and the United States Football League, the UFL boasted higher views than seen in the other two franchises, but it still failed to garner the high viewership found in the NCAA, which generates ten times the number of viewers.
Despite the concerns, Gen. Randy George, Army chief of staff, went ahead with the partnership deal.
The deal included having Army signage throughout the stadiums, the Army logo on the players’ uniforms, and the previously mentioned social media campaign with Johnson. With the UFL season running from March to June, Johnson hadn’t posted anything to his Instagram related to the Army since April. The two social media posts he posted consisted of clips of his tour of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland and photos of him surrounded by generals.
“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,” Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for George, told Military.com in a statement. “But we’re working with the UFL to rebalance the contract. The Rock remains a good partner to the Army.”
Internal documents reveal the UFL staffing was “inexperienced” and caused many communication breakdowns between the Army in terms of rendering out marketing plans.
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“UFL’s lack of experience liaising between brand/networks was very apparent during planning [the] process and created a significant amount of additional work,” the document said.
The recent recruitment bust comes as the Army and other branches struggle to meet their recruitment goals, with 70% of applicants deemed disqualified for service upon initial screening, mainly due to obesity and drug use.
