The Rock facing major military controversy

In terms of star power, there aren’t many celebrities bigger — literally and metaphorically — than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

But while Johnson’s drawing power has been well established at the box office and, of course, in the pro wrestling ring, the same apparently can’t be said when it comes to the military.

Earlier this week, Military.com published a report regarding the U.S. Army’s partnership with Johnson and the United Football League, which the pro wrestling living legend co-owns. And while the Army was hopeful that its $11 million investment would result in an uptick in enlistments, it turns out it may have had the opposite effect.

Writes Steve Beynon:

“The UFL deal was so catastrophic, it led to a projected loss of 38 enlistments, an internal review of the plan shows. Army planners use various metrics to judge whether time and money could be better spent in other efforts, and the effort and resources spent on the UFL were seen by the service as a net negative for recruiting.

“The bulk of the deal included prominent Army branding during UFL games, including the service’s logo on players’ uniforms. But the center of gravity was Johnson, whom service planners were hoping could elevate the Army brand, as he is among the most revered celebrities in the world with strong cross-demographic appeal.”

As noted above, a big part of the agreement focused on Johnson’s sizable social media presence, with “The People’s Champ” laying claim to 396 million followers on Instagram and more than 17 million followers on X. But according to the report, The Rock didn’t live up to his end of the deal, only making two of the five social media posts he was required to make.

Internal documents also show the Army is looking to recoup $6 million from the UFL, although it is unclear how it arrived at that figure.

“We are in the process of working with the UFL to determine the final cost,” an Army spokesperson told Military.com.

Even before the lackluster results, the Army’s partnership with the UFL was a polarizing one , as some within the organization questioned the merits of such a deal. Those concerns were apparently warranted, with internal Army documents citing an “inexperienced” UFL staff as one of the reasons for breakdowns in communication with the league while expressing concern that future deals with the spring football league could be successful.

But while Johnson’s name has understandably received the bulk of the headlines (including this one), the bigger story here appears to be that military branches are at a crossroads when it comes to their marketing efforts. Having previously relied on traditional means like linear television commercials, organizations like the Army are now trying to find avenues to reach a younger generation via social media.

As such, it’s understandable it would turn to one of the biggest influencers on the planet. Only those efforts proved underwhelming, if not wholly detrimental to its recruiting efforts.

[ Military.com ]

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