Leo Burnett, which is defending the $200 million U.S. Army account now in mandatory review, is retreating from "Army of One," the line it used to win the business in 2000, reports AdAge (via MediaBuyerPlanner). The slogan has been fodder for late night talk shows and was ridiculed on a recent episode of the sitcom "Arrested Development."
The Army missed its fiscal 2005 recruiting target of 80,000 recruits by nearly 7,000.
The review is expected to wind up between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Burnett has a contract extension that runs through March 31.
In addition to Burnett, the finalists are WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather, New York; Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann-Erickson, New York; and Omnicom Group's BBDO, Atlanta.
Previous coverage:
- U.S. Army Narrows Review to Four
- Army Again Extends Burnett Contract
- Army Reissues $200MM Review, Keeps Agencies Off Balance
- Army Extends Burnett Contract, to Spend up to $50MM More
- Army: Never Mind… $200MM Review on Again
- U.S. Army: Just Kidding about the $200MM Review
- U.S. Army Reviews Account
