Salute to Summer

To change the Army’s brand perception amongst Gen Z, NBCUniversal deployed a first-of-its-kind cross-portfolio campaign, activating every lever across our company, taking advantage of our deep roster of talent, IP, passionate fandom, legendary storytelling expertise, advanced technical capabilities, and impactful distribution platforms to bring the Army’s tagline, “Be All You Can Be,” to life. It all culminated in Salute to Summer, a star-studded live concert hosted at Universal Studios in Hollywood, and streamed as a special on Peacock.

The concert, hosted at Universal Studios’ CityWalk, spread messaging about the importance of fulfilling one’s potential, as expressed through performance and brief interview segments. In addition to the live concert, we featured “Soldier Spotlight” video packages in commercial time nationally and in local markets, sharing the unique, multi-faceted stories of three members of the US Army – specifically emphasizing the ways in which the Army empowers them to pursue their passions and be the best version of themselves. The special event took advantage of NBCUniversal’s deep talent roster, with Nick Jonas, Bodie Kuljian, Preacher Lawson, and host Erin Lim Rhodes bringing star-power and Gen Z appeal to the program, connecting with the next generation through music and comedy. Rappers from The U.S. Army also shared the stage.

To reach further saturation with the brand message (and promote the concert special), we reached across our entire portfolio, pairing the Army with some of our hit IP. From sponsoring a special episode of American Ninja Warrior to featuring the Army Field Band on The Voice to hosting a screening of Fast X for Army families (and then using content captured at that screening to create more content to air alongside Fast X on Peacock), the message was everywhere, and was consistent. We even pushed boundaries on our platform, using the full capabilities of Peacock, the entertainment business’s fastest-growing streamer.
Then we went even further for our fans, using augmented reality to let them enjoy a first-of-its-kind AR performance by Nick Jonas in their living rooms.