Project description:

Challenge: Marines, paratroopers, drone operators… – there are many professions in the military, but the main one – infantryman – unjustly remains the least honored. When people join the military, they say: “Anywhere, just not the infantry.” Infantry is perceived as requiring the least skills but having the greatest risks. At the same time, it’s very rarely mentioned that infantry makes up 80% of the army, and the entire front holds because the infantryman holds. Cultural Forces wanted people to look at infantry soldiers through their eyes and give proper recognition to their daily heroism.

Solution: Infantry Day began with a Minute of Silence to the sound of infantry footsteps on all TV and radio stations across the country. The slogan became a platform that was adapted to regions, for example, “Rivne Region Stands Because Infantry Stands,” and to businesses, such as “Tomorrow Will Come Because Infantry Stands” (Nova Poshta). Everyone interested could download materials from the landing page and honor the infantry. An installation was unveiled near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: an infantryman’s boots. Outdoor advertising, public service announcements on TV, a music album, social media, a commemorative badge – everything that day worked to build the infantry’s reputation.

Result: The campaign united business, government, and opinion leaders and went viral. Daily campaign reach was 7.5 million, weekly reach was 12 million. On Infantry Day, the reach of gratitude messages increased 25-fold – to 11 million contacts, of which 67% came from the campaign. Negativity decreased by half, and the level of gratitude reached in the media remained 10 times higher even a month later.

The phrase “Ukraine Stands Because Infantry Stands” became a catchphrase, changing society’s perception of the infantry’s role.

The campaign received 2 EFFIE awards.

Partners:

Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Category: Ukraine Recovery

Company: Cultural Forces

About the company: 

Cultural Forces is a platform that brings together service members from creative professions, cultural figures, analysts, and volunteers. The initiative develops a military culture, strengthens moral and psychological support for soldiers and the families of the fallen, and develops cultural diplomacy and information resistance through the tools of culture. The platform includes several projects as mobile artists groups, “Books to the Front,” “Frontline Studio,” “Orchestra 59,” and others.