Army recruiters have conceded it will take several years to get the British army near to full strength despite the perceived success of its Snowflake ad campaign, which has helped it to reach its annual target for the first time in six years.

Enlisting had collapsed after recruitment was part-privatised in 2012 when Capita partnered the army but new figures showed that 99% of the year’s 9,440 target had been signed up with seven weeks to go.

Successful advertising, popular TV programmes and a relaxation of health requirements are among the measures that have helped but recruiters warned a single year’s performance would do little to reduce the overall shortfall.

Maj Gen Paul Nanson, who heads army recruitment, said it was “going to take years” to get back to the levels needed, with current figures showing the shortfall is a little over 8,000 on the target of 82,000. Nanson said he could not give a specific timeframe to recover strength but added that he hoped the army could “show to people watching that we can maintain the level of improvement” and gradually boost numbers.

Part of the recovery was attributed to the controversial ad campaign run in 2019, targeting “snowflakes”, “selfie addicts” and “phone zombies”, which the army believed would help catch the imagination of the target audience.

It has also been helped by the army relaxing recruitment criteria, making it easier for overweight or unfit people or those with asthma and eczema to join, and the popularity of television programmes depicting military life.

This year’s ad campaign, which launched in January, is aimed at teenagers and young adults suffering from anxiety and self-doubt. “Confidence that lasts for a lifetime” can only be obtained from the army, say the posters.

Cath Possamai, the chief executive of the British Army Recruiting Group, said that “socio-economic, political factors have made life difficult” – referring to the health and increasing reluctance of potential recruits – but said “January’s volume is comparable to last year’s” and argued the recovery was sustained.

Television programmes that have helped persuade people to apply include the BBC’s Our Girl, whose lead character plays a combat medical technician, resulting in a surplus of people wanting to specialise in the role, as well as Raw Recruits on Channel 5, which films 16-year-old recruits at Harrogate.

The army relies heavily on 16 and 17-year-olds to make up its numbers, who account for nearly a third of overall recruitment, although the UK is the only European nation to allow people to enlist that young. They start their service career at Harrogate, where they learn military basics, but cannot serve on operations.

Lt Col Rich Hall, the commanding officer at Harrogate, added that many recruits came from troubled backgrounds. “A third of the college are what you’d describe as really disadvantaged, excluded from school, behavioural issues, perhaps brought up by grandparents, often from broken homes.”