old spice social media case study

TheBigMarketing.com

Old Spice Marketing Strategy 2024: A Case Study

Old Spice, a renowned brand once associated with older men, embarked on a remarkable marketing journey to revitalize its image and connect with a younger audience. This case study delves into the strategies, campaigns, and lessons that propelled Old Spice to success in the ever-evolving world of advertising.

Key Takeaways:

• Old Spice underwent a rebranding effort to appeal to a younger demographic.
• The iconic ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ ad went viral, generating immense attention and increasing sales.
• Old Spice’s humorous and quirky viral campaigns redefined the brand’s image and resonated with consumers.
• The brand embraced digital platforms and social media to engage millennials and Gen Z.
• Humor played a vital role in Old Spice’s marketing strategy, refreshing the brand’s image and connecting with the target audience .

The ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ Ad

One of Old Spice’s most iconic and memorable advertisements is the ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ ad, which debuted on YouTube. This ad, featuring former NFL star Isaiah Mustafa, quickly went viral and became a sensation, garnering 6 million views in its first week alone.

The cleverly crafted ad showcased Mustafa’s confident demeanor, comedic timing, and memorable catchphrases, capturing the attention of viewers worldwide. Its humorous and engaging nature conveyed Old Spice’s brand message in a refreshing and memorable way.

The success of the ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ ad translated into tangible results for Old Spice. The brand experienced a remarkable sales increase of 125% year-on-year following the ad’s release. This growth was particularly significant considering the highly competitive market dominated by Unilever’s Axe.

The ad’s exceptional creation can be attributed to the award-winning advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy. Known for their groundbreaking campaigns and innovation in the advertising industry, Wieden+Kennedy played a pivotal role in developing and executing this viral ad for Old Spice.

By implementing a humor-driven, eye-catching ad and collaborating with a reputable agency like Wieden+Kennedy, Old Spice achieved unprecedented success in promoting their brand and captivating the target audience .

Old Spice’s Viral Campaigns

Old Spice, known for its quirky and entertaining advertising, has successfully created a series of viral campaigns that have captivated audiences worldwide. These campaigns have been characterized by their absurd humor , quirky characters , and memorable taglines.

1. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”

One of Old Spice’s most iconic campaigns, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” featured the charismatic former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa. The ad went viral on YouTube, amassing millions of views within its first week. The combination of Mustafa’s charm, witty writing, and unexpected scenarios captured viewers’ attention and established a new benchmark for Old Spice advertising.

2. “Odor Blocker”

Another memorable campaign from Old Spice is the “Odor Blocker” series. These ads showcased quirky characters like “Cyborg Ambassador” and “Wolfthorn Man” who humorously demonstrated the effectiveness of Old Spice’s products in blocking odor. These offbeat and imaginative characters, combined with the brand’s signature humor, made a lasting impression on viewers.

Old Spice’s viral campaigns redefined the traditional advertising landscape, highlighting the power of absurd humor and quirky characters to engage audiences. These campaigns not only generated buzz and conversation but also solidified Old Spice’s position as a brand willing to take risks and push creative boundaries.

Engaging a New Generation

To stay relevant in an ever-evolving market and engage with a younger demographic, Old Spice recognized the importance of adapting its marketing strategy to digital platforms and social media. Harnessing the power of these digital channels allowed Old Spice to connect with millennials and Gen Z consumers on their preferred platforms and terms.

One key aspect of Old Spice’s digital transformation was its effective utilization of social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. These platforms provided a direct line of communication with the brand’s target audience , facilitating conversations and building lasting relationships. By actively engaging with followers and responding to their comments and inquiries, Old Spice fostered a sense of community and loyalty.

Furthermore, Old Spice embarked on influential partnerships with popular content creators and influencers. Collaborating with influencers gave the brand access to their extensive follower base, enabling them to tap into new audiences and expand their reach. These partnerships helped Old Spice gain credibility and authenticity in the eyes of consumers, as influencers’ endorsements carried significant weight in the digital space.

Old Spice also focused on creating compelling and shareable digital content to captivate its target audience. By producing engaging videos, witty memes, and interactive posts, the brand demonstrated its understanding of the digital landscape and the importance of captivating content in attracting and retaining online users.

Throughout its digital journey, Old Spice has remained adaptive and responsive to changing trends and consumer behaviors. By continuously developing its social media strategy, partnering with influencers, and creating captivating digital content , Old Spice has successfully engaged a new generation, maintaining its status as a beloved brand among younger consumers.

The Power of Influencers

Influencer marketing has become an integral part of brand strategies in the digital era. As consumers increasingly seek authentic and relatable content, influencers offer a unique opportunity for brands to connect with their target audience on a more personal level. By partnering with influencers, Old Spice was able to harness their influence and effectively reach millennials and Gen Z consumers.

Creating Engaging Digital Content

Achieving success in the digital space requires brands to create content that stands out and resonates with their target audience. Old Spice’s digital content was characterized by its humor, creativity, and relevance to the interests and preferences of younger consumers. By delivering engaging digital experiences, Old Spice was able to capture the attention and loyalty of its target audience.

The Power of Humor in Marketing

Humor has proven to be a powerful tool in marketing for its ability to break down barriers and connect with audiences on a deeper level. When used effectively, humor can not only entertain but also drive engagement, foster brand loyalty, and refresh a brand’s image. Old Spice, a brand once associated with older men, successfully utilized humor to appeal to a younger demographic and redefine its brand perception.

By incorporating humor into their advertising campaigns, Old Spice transformed their image and made their brand more relatable and appealing to the target audience. One notable example is the viral ad campaign featuring the character known as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” This campaign not only generated buzz but also helped Old Spice achieve a significant increase in sales.

The benefits of using humor in marketing extend beyond viral success and increased sales. Humor can humanize a brand, making it more approachable and memorable. It creates an emotional connection with consumers, fostering a positive association with the brand. In the case of Old Spice, the use of humor not only refreshed their brand image but also positioned them as a fun and innovative company in the crowded personal care market.

One of the key advantages of humor in marketing is its ability to captivate and hold the attention of the audience. In a world saturated with advertisements, humor stands out and leaves a lasting impression. It can grab the viewer’s attention and make them more receptive to the brand’s message, increasing the likelihood of brand recall and positive brand perception.

Benefits of Using Humor in Marketing:

• Breaks down barriers and connects with audiences
• Refreshes brand image
• Increases engagement and brand loyalty
• Makes the brand more relatable and memorable
• Creates emotional connections with consumers
• Captivates and holds the audience’s attention

In conclusion, humor is a powerful tool that can be leveraged in marketing to enhance brand perception, engage audiences, and refresh a brand’s image. Old Spice’s success in using humor as a marketing strategy showcases the potential for high rewards when humor resonates with the target audience. By incorporating humor into their campaigns, brands have the opportunity to create meaningful connections and stand out in a saturated market.

Challenges and Lessons in Humorous Marketing

While humorous marketing can be highly effective, it also presents unique challenges for brands. One of the key challenges is striking a balance between humor and brand messaging. It is crucial for marketers to ensure that the humor aligns with the brand’s image and values while still resonating with the target audience.

Old Spice, known for its humorous campaigns, faced similar challenges in implementing their humorous marketing strategy. The brand had to carefully craft content that not only made people laugh but also conveyed their brand message effectively. Balancing humor with brand messaging is a delicate art that requires a deep understanding of the target audience and the brand’s identity.

One of the lessons learned from Old Spice’s experience is the importance of maintaining brand consistency. While humor can be attention-grabbing and entertaining, it should never overshadow or dilute the brand’s core message. To strike the right balance, marketers must ensure that humor reinforces the brand’s values and enhances its image rather than detracting from it.

Another lesson learned is the need for adaptability. Humor is subjective, and what one person finds funny, another may not. It is crucial for marketers to gather insights and feedback from their target audience to understand what type of humor resonates with them. This feedback can help refine future campaigns and ensure that the humor is tailored to the preferences of the target audience.

By carefully navigating the challenges of humorous marketing and embracing these lessons, brands can unlock the full potential of humor to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Key Challenges in Humorous Marketing:

• Ensuring humor aligns with brand image
• Striking a balance between humor and brand messaging
• Maintaining brand consistency
• Adapting humor to different target audiences

Lessons in Humorous Marketing:

• Refine humor based on target audience feedback
• Ensure humor enhances brand values
• Use humor to differentiate from competitors

Old Spice’s Strategy Shift

Old Spice recognized the need to adapt its marketing strategy to effectively reach a younger audience. The brand made a significant shift from traditional media to digital platforms, embracing a digital-first approach. By doing so, Old Spice aimed to create engaging content that catered specifically to the preferences and interests of millennials and Gen Z consumers.

In order to maintain its relevance in an increasingly digital world, Old Spice leveraged social media and digital channels to connect with its target audience. This strategic shift allowed the brand to generate buzz and capture the attention of younger consumers who were more likely to be active on these platforms.

Through their digital-first content , Old Spice was able to engage with their audience in a more interactive and entertaining way. By utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, the brand was able to create a direct line of communication with their target audience, encouraging feedback, participation, and ultimately building a stronger brand community.

Old Spice’s marketing shift to digital-first content proved to be highly successful in capturing the attention of their target audience. By adapting to the changing media landscape and effectively leveraging digital platforms, the brand was able to maintain its relevance and resonate with millennials and Gen Z consumers.

Overall, Old Spice’s strategy shift exemplifies the importance of embracing digital channels and tailoring content to the preferences of the target audience. This move allowed the brand to stay ahead of the curve and ensure continued success in the ever-evolving world of marketing.

Old Spice’s Digital-First Marketing Channels

The marketing success of Old Spice demonstrates the profound impact of humor in brand relatability and engagement. Through their creative and humorous campaigns, Old Spice effectively captured the attention of their target audience and successfully repositioned the brand in the market. By leveraging humor, Old Spice was able to establish a strong brand presence, make their products memorable, and generate positive conversations.

• Humor is a powerful tool in marketing, as it helps break down barriers and make brands more approachable.
• Old Spice’s use of humor in their advertising campaigns helped refresh the brand image and appeal to a younger audience.
• The viral campaigns created by Old Spice, such as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” showcased the brand’s ability to engage consumers through absurd humor and quirky characters.
• Old Spice’s shift from traditional media to digital platforms and social media channels allowed them to effectively reach and connect with millennials and Gen Z consumers.

Overall, Old Spice’s marketing success serves as a testament to the value of humor in creating relatable and engaging brand experiences. By embracing creativity and leveraging humor, brands can differentiate themselves in a competitive market and forge a genuine connection with their target audience.

Old Spice’s Continued Success

Old Spice, renowned for its iconic marketing campaigns , continues to achieve remarkable success in the industry. The brand has positioned itself as a leader by maintaining its number one brand channel on YouTube, attracting millions of viewers and subscribers. This accomplishment showcases the enduring appeal of Old Spice’s clever and engaging content.

One of the factors contributing to Old Spice’s continued success is its effective utilization of online promotions . The brand has leveraged the power of social media to engage its audience, creating interactive and shareable content that generates buzz and keeps consumers hooked. By embracing new digital platforms and innovative approaches, Old Spice has consistently stayed relevant and captivating in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

Furthermore, Old Spice’s commitment to data-driven decision-making is evident through its adoption of web analytics . By collecting and analyzing valuable data insights, the brand gains a deeper understanding of its audience’s preferences, behavior, and trends. This valuable information allows Old Spice to continuously improve its marketing strategies and provide a better customer experience, ensuring their continued success in the highly competitive market.

What was the key goal of Old Spice’s rebranding effort?

The key goal was to make the brand relevant to young men and generate conversation about body wash.

Which iconic Old Spice ad went viral and achieved a sales increase?

‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ YouTube ad featuring Isaiah Mustafa went viral and helped Old Spice achieve a sales increase of 125% year-on-year.

What characterized Old Spice’s viral campaigns?

Old Spice’s viral campaigns were characterized by unique humor, quirky characters, and memorable taglines.

How did Old Spice engage a younger demographic?

Old Spice shifted its marketing strategy to focus on digital platforms and social media, utilizing channels like Facebook and Twitter and partnering with influencers.

How did Old Spice use humor in its marketing strategy?

Old Spice successfully used humor to refresh its brand image and connect with a younger audience, making the brand more approachable.

What challenges did Old Spice face in implementing humorous marketing?

Old Spice had to ensure that the humor aligned with the brand’s image and appealed to the target audience, striking a balance between humor and brand messaging.

How did Old Spice shift its marketing strategy?

Old Spice shifted from traditional media to digital platforms, embracing a digital-first approach to create engaging content tailored to millennials and Gen Z consumers.

What is the power of humor in marketing?

Humor can make a brand relatable, memorable, and engaging, helping it stand out in a noisy advertising landscape.

How has Old Spice continued its success?

Old Spice has maintained its success by utilizing online promotions , engaging on social media, and leveraging web analytics to improve the customer experience.

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11 Social Media Marketing Lessons from the Old Spice Campaign

It has longevity and endurance that has been achieved through a mix of several reiterations as well as using online and offline marketing, social media and PR that has kept the original content bubbling across the Web.

Wieden + Kennedy created the original ad for the Super Bowl for their client Procter and Gamble the owners of the iconic Old Spice brand.

The ad featured former NFL athlete Isaiah Mustafa and was a a video centric marketing campaign that combined both traditional and social media.

The Old Spice Campaign Facts and Figures

Here are some of the numbers that were the result of the continuous marketing campaign.

• The number one most viewed sponsored channel on YouTube
• 236 million YouTube Views
• 80,000 Twitter followers in 2 days
• Facebook Interaction increased 800% with the personalized videos (Fans now total over 1.5 million)
• Sales figures increased by 107 %

At the end of the day you can have all the noise, buzz and viral success you like but if you don’t increase sales you might as well pack up and go home. The Old Spice campaign achieved both.

1. Keep Your Videos Short and Snappy

Originally one of the rules of thumb for on-line videos was that they shouldn’t be any longer than two minutes but the Old Spice YouTube videos were mostly less than a minute and as short as 17 seconds. They have taken “snappy” to a new level.

2. Turn Your Advertising into “Content” that is Easy to Share

A traditional offline video is hard to share, so making your ad into a YouTube video enables it to be shared and the distribution crowd sourced.

3. Make you Marketing Content Searchable

I don’t know about you but sometimes you see a funny ad on TV and you have to wait for it to be replayed to view it again. Publishing on-line as well as off-line makes it searchable and  able to be viewed on demand.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

4. be everywhere.

Marketing on as many appropriate multi-channel and multi-media marketing channels using social media ensures that broadest possible distribution is achieved by tapping into viewers media and platform preferences. The agency participated and promoted across many social media channels and networks including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The campaign wasn’t just published on social media channels but also the promoted using social media marketing to spread the brand message.

5. Respond in Real Time

In 24 hours the old spice guy responded to Tweets (including a marriage proposal) with 116  YouTube videos (The crew was given 7 minutes to record each video including the writing and the shooting with only one or two takes). This princilple of real time response can include responding to comments on Facebook and tweets on Twitter  to keep the conversation rolling.

6.  Use Other People’s and other Media’s Networks (for free)

The Wieden + Kennedy campaign decided to respond to Tweets with YouTube video responses and when the “Old Spice” guy responded to “The Ellen Show” tweet with a YouTube video then of course this was broadcast to millions on her shows network. Individuals with large on-line influence such as Guy Kawasaki and Perez Hilton had video responses which tapped into their large personal brand audiences globally. Tap into large networks by giving them the attention they want and crave and they will spread it for free to their distribution networks whether that be Facebook, television or Twitter.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cs95FmimP0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

7. use social media to activate mass media.

This then leads us to another lesson. If your social media marketing is good enough, mass media will pick it up, especially if it has humour and entertainment value and will advertise it for free to millions of their viewers and readers.

8. Keep the Content Pumping

Savvy bloggers know this marketing secret and that is to keep the content pumping. The “Old Spice” campaign which was video centric managed to produce 100’s of videos led by a team of 4 writers, a camera crew and a half naked actor. The approach was certainly quantity over quality which social media advocates will recognise. Don’t wait for your post to be perfect before hitting the publish button because it never will be.

9. Drive Engagement through Personalization

One of the writers behind the Old Spice campaign Jason Bagley said. “ No one expects to ask a question and then be responded to. I think that’s where we broke through .” The marketing team responded personally to tweets with custom YouTube videos , this both surprised and amazed the global audience.

10. If it Works Keep Repeating a Proven Formula

The old saying “when your on to a good thing stick to it” applies very much to this marketing success which initially started with the Super Bowl YouTube video which received 100,000 views every few hours has been repeated twice with a new angle every time. The second  time was a 2 day marathon of high quality personalized video responses to questions asked by fans on Twitter and YouTube. The latests reiteration was last month with a rival introduced called Fabio (an ageing male super model) and cleverly called the “New Old Spice Guy”

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H73O8zaHmAo[/youtube]

11. Add a Negative Twist

The creators of the campaign decided  to add a negative twist to rejuvenate the campaign by introducing a rival “Fabio” the “New Old Spice Guy” and had the viewers vote on who they preferred . This produced a lot of “Buzz” online and negative comment (viewers “loved” Isaiah Mustafa the original old spice guy) that continued to drive the viral conversation with the original “Old Spice Guy of course winning the competition. I have found negative headlines to produce much better responses than the positive angle eg “ 30 Things You Should Not Share on Social Media ”

What impressed you about this campaign?

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CASE STUDY – Old Spice: Smell Like A Man, Man

“Look at your man. Now look at me. Now back at your man. Now back to me.”

Chances are pretty high that you read that in the voice of the guy from the Old Spice ad – and for good reason.

Winner of Cannes Lion Film Grand Prix. An Emmy for Outstanding Commercial. No. 4 in Ad Age’s top campaigns of the 21st century. 

There’s no debate: Old Spice made an absolute killer campaign.

The Campaign

It’s an ad that travelled around the world, eventually becoming part of pop culture: Old Spice: Smell Like a Man, Man . 

The idea was simple: Using short, rapid-fire monologues, actor Isaiah Mustafa explained that anything is possible if your man smells like Old Spice.

In the time since the initial commercial aired, other well-known figures such as Fabio and even Terry Crews were introduced as competition to Mustafa, featuring dueling adverts.  

But why was the campaign so successful?

The Origins

Having failed to successfully rebrand back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Old Spice was rapidly losing market share to Lynx (‘Axe’ in certain markets). Something needed to change.

Their biggest issue: Old Spice marketed their product to an aging population, which resulted in diminishing returns in the long term. They needed a way to return to their previous position as a major competitor.

Enter creative agency Wieden + Kennedy in 2010 with Isaiah Mustafa, and the body wash market was changed forever.

The Audience

With the goal of completely rebranding Old Spice as a product for a younger audience, the marketing strategy found its major focus in one key fact: 60% of body wash purchases were made by women .

Instead of focusing solely on young males as their target audience, Wieden + Kennedy switched things up and made young females the major focus of the campaign. 

At the heart of the campaign was research and understanding . This agency took the time to understand their audience, assess their wants and needs, and then they went the extra mile in developing an understanding of the people around their audience. 

The re’s no point trying to sell to consumers if you don’t know what makes them tick. In this case, the people consuming and the people buying were two completely different demographics. They were targeting the wrong crowd, and that shift in thinking was the key to success.

Not many other campaigns even come close to Old Spice’s level of success.

Old Spice quickly rose to become the top men’s body wash brand in the USA, bagging themselves a list of international awards and accolades.

Just a handful of the extremely impressive stats:

300% increase in website traffic

Sales of old spice had doubled by july of the same year, 1.2 billion earned media impressions, a full-blown sesame street parody, what’s the takeaway.

Old Spice took a long, hard look at themselves, realised that something wasn’t working, and got to work fixing it.

There are lessons here for any business:

• Do the research. Your exact target market may not be what you think it is. It’s always worth doing your research and digging into the data.
• The market changes. That means you need to change with it. All brands become outdated with time, so it’s up to you to stay on top of trends and keep your offering relevant.
• Be authentic. It’s the simplest sounding advice, with the toughest application. Old Spice’s ad campaign was so blatantly self-aware that it became a meme. The time for straight-faced corporate lists of your product’s benefits has passed; we’re now in an age where humour and authenticity are your greatest tools. 

We can’t guarantee an ad campaign so amazing it gets parodied by Sesame Street, but our team does know a thing or two about branding and marketing.

Need some insight on how to improve your current marketing strategy? Get in touch with our team, or check out some of our past marketing work .

Thank you for taking the time to get in touch. We’ll be right back to you with our smarter way.

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Old Spice case study: How a 75-year-old brand changed digital marketing forever

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Before this now-legendary social media and video campaign, Old Spice was a brand that was previously associated with old men. This case study looks at how the ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ YouTube ad got 6 million YouTube views in its first week, netting the P&G brand a sales increase of 125% year-on-year in a highly competitive market dominated by Unilever’s Axe.

Old brand with an big image problem

The Old Spice products were manufactured by the Shulton Company, founded in 1934 by William Lightfoot Schultz. The brand’s first product, Early American Old Spice for women, originated in 1937, and Old Spice for men followed not long after in 1938. Bought by Proctor and Gamble in 1990 to break into a new market, Old Spice attempted to broaden its appeal through marketing spin-offs to younger men in 1999. They waited until 2002 to launch a rebrand but began to be edged out of the 12-24 age market by deodorant brand ‘Axe’. In response, they launched the largely unsuccessful ‘Swagger’ campaign. By 2006, Old Spice was falling in the ranks. In an effort to improve its market share and revenues, the company engaged the award-winning advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy, known for its iconic Nike “Just Do It” and Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” ad campaigns, among many others.

The agency had two key challenges:

• Draw on the long-standing history and expertise of the brand and reposition it to make it relevant to young men

• Target both men and women in order to generate conversation about body wash.

A fresh and funny new take that was impossible to ignore

The agency’s solution was the now famous ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’, casting former NFL star Isaiah Mustafa, as the “Old Spice Guy.”

In the 30-second ad, which aired on YouTube a few days before the 2010 Super Bowl and then on TV the day after the game, the charismatic (and shirtless) Mustafa delivers promises of what’s possible “when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.”

Based on its humour, delivery and direct style, the ad went viral, and the brand along with it. The online and televised ad garnered 75% of all conversations in the category.

Following the launch of the ad campaign, the company’s sales more than doubled, their website traffic increased by 300%, the Old Spice YouTube channel became the #1 Most Viewed Sponsored YouTube Channel, and Old Spice became the #1 body wash brand for men. The ad was also the recipient of the 2010 Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.

View the original ad below:

Follow up Q&A session

The success of the ad led to an ongoing social media campaign to keep the internet buzz going. Wieden+Kennedy's solution was the Response Campaign, in which the Old Spice Guy would respond to questions submitted by fans through a variety of social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter, through a series of YouTube videos. In less than three days, Wieden+Kennedy filmed over 180 video responses to questions from fans and celebrities, and then posted them on YouTube.

Within the first day, the Response Campaign had accumulated 5.9 million views; within one week, the number grew to over 40 million. The brand’s YouTube channel more than doubled from 65,000 to 150,000 subscribers, while their Twitter and Facebook followings soared by 2,700% and 800%, respectively.

By the end of July 2010, sales were up 125% year on year, and by the year’s end, Old Spice had become the #1 selling brand of body wash for men in the US. In May 2013, the company once again leveraged the success of its YouTube campaign and launched two new video ads to sell its latest shave gel products. Together, the two videos totalled over 7.6 million views in just two weeks.

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Case Study: Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" Campaign 🧔

Introduction: A Journey to Rebrand 🚀 Once upon a time, Old Spice was known for its grandfatherly image and its classic, traditional scent. But in 2010, the brand embarked on a journey to revamp its image and appeal to a younger, hipper audience. Enter the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign, which quickly became one of the most memorable and successful advertising campaigns of the decade 💡.

The Star of the Campaign: The Old Spice Guy 🎥 The campaign featured actor Isaiah Mustafa as the "Old Spice Guy," a charismatic, confident, and funny character who challenged traditional notions of masculinity. In a series of clever and entertaining commercials, Mustafa used humor and irony to promote Old Spice's products, such as body wash and deodorant. He addressed the viewer directly and made fun of the typical, predictable commercials that came before his. "Hello ladies," he quipped, "look at your man, now back to me. Unfortunately, he isn't me. But if he stopped using lady-scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he's me."

The Viral Effect: A Surge in Sales and Recognition 🚀 The commercials went viral and quickly became cultural touchstones. People couldn't get enough of the Old Spice Guy and his witty one-liners, and the brand experienced a surge in sales and recognition 💰. Old Spice even responded to fan tweets with personalized video messages, further engaging its audience and cementing its image as a hip and modern brand 💬.

The Secret to Success: Key Elements 💡 But the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign was more than just a series of funny commercials. It was a masterclass in marketing strategy and creative execution. Here are some key elements that made the campaign such a success:

Targeting the Right Audience: Understanding Young Men 🧔 Old Spice recognized that its target audience was young men who were looking for a grooming product that was both effective and cool. The brand realized that it needed to break away from its old-fashioned image and appeal to this new demographic.

A Bold and Creative Approach 🎨 The Old Spice Guy was a charismatic and confident character who challenged traditional notions of masculinity. By using humor and irony, the brand positioned itself as a fun and unconventional choice for men's grooming products.

Effective Use of Social Media 💬 The brand responded to fan tweets with personalized video messages, further engaging its audience and establishing itself as a social media savvy brand.

Focusing on User Experience 💻 Old Spice wanted to create a memorable experience for its audience, and it did just that with the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign. The commercials were entertaining, the Old Spice Guy was likeable and relatable, and the brand's use of social media was innovative and effective.

Conclusion: A Resounding Success 🎉 The "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign was a resounding success, and it cemented Old Spice's image as a hip and modern brand. The campaign won numerous awards, including a Grand Effie, a Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and a Clio Award 🏆.

Key Lessons Learned:

Know Your Audience 🧔

Be Bold and Creative 🎨

Use Social Media Effectively 💬

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Integrated Marketing Case Study: The Old Spice Campaign

The following case study shows how an advertising firm, Wieden+Kennedy, created a comprehensive campaign to increase awareness and sales of Old Spice.

As you watch the video pay particular attention to the numbers (or metrics) used to evaluate the campaign:

• What metrics were used as the impetus to support creation of the campaign?
• What metrics were used to determine if the campaign was successful?
• Were there specific metrics that mattered because they drove other important metrics?

• Original Content. Authored by : Lumen Learning. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Old Spice Responses Case Study. Authored by : stroommedia. Located at : http://youtu.be/fD1WqPGn5Ag . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : standard YouTube license

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Case Study | Old Spice – The Advertisement That Took The Brand By Storm

Case Study | Old Spice – The Advertisement That Took The Brand By Storm 3 min read

Old Spice has been a long standing global brand of cosmetics for men. Their range includes after-shave lotion, lather shaving cream, talcum powder, shampoos and hair cream. In India the first and most successful product launched was after-shave lotion.

In the year 1986, the market share of Old Spice products in India was as follows:

• After-shave lotion – 65%
• Lather shaving cream – 9%
• Talcum powder – 1%
• Shampoo trace
• Hair cream trace

Colfax Lab. Ltd. The manufacturers had been marketing the products in the west through departmental stores. They planned a strategy to boost their products sale in India in 1987 and decided to reduce reliance on after-shave lotion and promote other products as well, as they had found there was good market for other products too.

Shampoo : As Colfax had only one type of shampoo, whereas competitors had several types, they decided to lie low on this product.

Talcum powder : As talcum powder was purchased mostly by women, and Old Spice was a brand for men, the sale was restricted. Hence it was decided to promote lather shaving cream along with after-shave lotion as the two products complemented each other.

A market survey gave the following figures of use of cosmetics by men:

• Shaving cream is used by 94% men After-shave lotion by 79%
• Hair cream by 33% Talcum powder by 86%
• Shampoo by 63%\

Also Read: Journey From Wills Cigarettes To Wills Sports

Advertising Plan

Advertising budget was not enough for undertaking a full-fledged multi-product campaign. After-shave lotion to be the umbrella product and from 1985 the Surfer Ad campaign was launched. The advertisement gives a masculine Macho image to the product. It gave a fillip to the after-shave lotion and had marginal impact on other product sales. 40 towns with 70% business were selected for the campaign. TV was taken as the primary medium. Product differentiation was through package size, with introduction of 50 ml pack with atomiser.

Objectives of the advertising plan were to increase awareness of the product in customer’s minds and encourage trial usage of lather shaving cream. Strategy was to keep the brand personality of lather shaving cream same as that of aftershave lotion, that of a masculine macho man and gradually increase focus on lather shaving cream without decreasing importance of after-shave lotion.

Since the lather shaving cream was a superior product as compared to other shaving creams, keeping advertisements of both the products, lather shaving cream and aftershave lotion consistent, improved the brand image of both the products.

The product was targeted towards 25 plus men with income of 10,000 per month. Research had shown that as the brand image is most important, brand character had to be clearly defined too.

Old Spice man is adventurous with a devil-may-care attitude. His activities and sports have a touch of danger. He thrives on risks and women pine for him. Creative strategy lead to making of the Polo film, horses symbolising the machos in men, who are irresistibly attractive to the elitist women.

Polo is intrinsically adventurous and full of risks. Medium had to be elitist i.e. TV which provides the following:

• Maximum excitement to brand for large target audience.
• High reach Quick building of sales
• Cost effective

Three spots a month were given of 20 seconds duration on the national network.

Old Spice brand has remained one of the most respected brands worldwide. In 1988 lather shaving cream advertisement was among top 10 advertisements in the world

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A Company Culture Lesson from Old Spice Social Media

Years from now, this week’s Old Spice social media campaign will still be used as case study . Aside from the obvious lessons about social media engagement, there’s another equally important lesson that we shouldn’t lose sight of: A company’s culture and its willingness to take calculated risks will shape its social media engagement — and success.

Recently, I’ve had interesting, ongoing conversations with a number of friends who work for PR/marketing/advertising agencies about the cultural collisions between social media and “traditional” communication. Lots of complaints about long approval processes. For example, it takes days just to get a blog post approved. All t weets need to be scripted and approved by the agency powers that be. How is that engaging, timely or relevant?

Companies need to put their best foot forward online. That makes sense. But, how can companies do this and still be social, not scripted? Don’t forget, we live in an age where quickness equals relevancy.

If Old Spice can pump out a couple hundred videos in just two days, should it really take that long (or longer) for a smaller company to churn out one blog post? Or, one Facebook update? Or a few tweets? This Old Spice campaign never would have worked if management had to approve every single video created, tweet sent or Facebook update posted.

So, what’s a company to do? 3 tips to get started:

• Hire the right employees. If someone will be representing your brand in social media, make sure that person possesses the right mix of skills. Just because they’re good at traditional PR, doesn’t mean they’ll excel in this new landscape. Likewise, just because they write a popular personal blog doesn’t mean they can effectively manage social media to achieve business-driven goals.
• Train your employees. Social media is constantly evolving. Help your employees understand the goals, their role, how you’ll measure success, and how to do their jobs well. Encourage them to read thought-leader blogs , attend webinars or conferences, and network with other social media-types. Provide opportunities to test new tools. Reward out-of-the-box thinking. Position them for success . Don’t just throw them into the deep end and cross your fingers.
• Create social media guidelines . Establish guidelines to create some boundaries for appropriate and inappropriate behavior and content. If employees get into a “gray” area, they need to understand who to ask. But, if they’re within those boundaries, don’t be a bottleneck. Make sure these guidelines also articulate the approval process, what to do if/when a crisis starts to peculate, and how to live up to the company’s brand standards.

What would you add to this list? How has social media changed your corporate culture? What is your company’s social media approval process? Is it helping or hindering your engagement and effectiveness?

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[…] Heather Whaling’s a company culture lesson from Old Spice social media […]

[…] to give the Old Spice marketing team the freedom to conduct the campaign as they saw fit (see PRtini’s post for more on that), I think there’s another reason that was equally […]

YouTube Case Study: Old Spice

How a 75 year-old company stays fresh

by Tara Baboushkin

Organization/background: The Old Spice products were manufactured by the Shulton Company, founded in 1934 by William Lightfoot Schultz. The brand’s first product, Early American Old Spice for women, originated in 1937, and Old Spice for men followed not long after in 1938. In June of 1990, Procter & Gamble purchased the Old Spice product line and now offers a full line of men’s care products, including anti-perspirant, deodorant, body wash, body spray, bar soap, shave gel, and fragrances. The corporate website is: http://oldspice.com/en-US/.

Business need or problem: Old Spice first launched its body wash in 2003. As the product category grew in popularity, so too did the competition and by 2006, Old Spice was falling in the ranks. In an effort to improve its market standing – and revenues – the company engaged the award-winning advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy, known for its iconic Nike “Just Do It” and Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” ad campaigns, among many others. Their challenge was twofold: 1) To draw on the long-standing history and expertise of the brand and reposition it to make it relevant to young men; 2) To target both men and women in order to generate conversation about body wash.

Social Media Solution: The solution was the now infamous “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad, which features former NFL wide receiver, Isaiah Mustafa, in his new role as the “Old Spice Guy.” In the 30-second ad, which aired on YouTube a few days before the 2010 Super Bowl and then on television the day after the game, the sharp and shirtless Mustafa delivers promises of what’s possible “when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.”

Business result: The ad went viral, and the brand along with it. The online and televised ad captured 75% of all conversations in the category. Since its initial launch, the original YouTube ad has been viewed over 45 million times, and is the recipient of the 2010 Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. The colossal success of the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad gave rise to an ongoing social media campaign, which bolstered the company to explosive success. Following the launch of the ad campaign, the company’s sales more than doubled, their website traffic increased by 300%, the Old Spice YouTube channel became the #1 Most Viewed Sponsored YouTube Channel, and Old Spice became the #1 body wash brand for men.

What actually happened: Following the viral success of the original “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad, Wieden+Kennedy wanted to find a way to maintain the momentum and keep the conversation going. Their solution was the Response Campaign, in which the Old Spice Guy would respond to questions submitted by fans through a variety of social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter, through a series of YouTube videos.

In less than three days, Wieden+Kennedy filmed over 180 video responses to questions from fans and celebrities, and then posted them on YouTube. Within the first day, the Response Campaign had accumulated 5.9 million views; within one week, the number grew to over 40 million. The brand’s YouTube channel more than doubled from 65,000 to 150,000 subscribers, while their Twitter and Facebook followings soared by 2,700% and 800%, respectively. By the end of July 2010, sales were up 125% year on year, and by the year’s end, Old Spice had become the #1 selling brand of body wash for men in the US.

In May 2013, the company once again leveraged the success of its YouTube campaign and launched two new video ads to sell its latest shave gel products. Together, the two videos totalled over 7.6 million views in just two weeks.

This is a great example of how a company that is over 75 years old can use YouTube as well as other social media platforms to reinvent and sustain itself.

Spotlight Case Study: Old Spice

June 27, 2014

Perhaps the most effective marketing effort that has ever hit the web was Old Spice’s “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. The video, featuring a shirtless Isaiah Mustafa speaking in a confident and seductive manner, is ostensibly aimed at women. Of course, men also find the video entertaining. Many businesses wonder what strategies Old […]

Perhaps the most effective marketing effort that has ever hit the web was Old Spice’s “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. The video, featuring a shirtless Isaiah Mustafa speaking in a confident and seductive manner, is ostensibly aimed at women. Of course, men also find the video entertaining. Many businesses wonder what strategies  Old Spice  employed in order to gain insta-fame with YouTube and television campaigns and how they find continued success with Twitter.

Successful Components of the Old Spice Video Campaign

• Frontman: Isaiah Mustafa is a likeable, notable actor who has become the Old Spice guy, to the point where he could be recognized as little else. A recognizable spokesperson is as relatable and iconic as a logo or tagline. Mustafa has inevitably become part of the Old Spice brand. Humor: It takes a keen marketing team to know what is funny and execute it properly. In this case, Old Spice is appealing to their target markets and nailing it. Old Spice has been around for decades and needed to be refreshed in the market; the smart humor in their ad feels young without excluding important older demographics.
• Masculinity: The brand is selling manhood. The Old Spice guy is strong, brave, and admittedly well-sculpted. Clearly, no video viewer believes that any of that has a thing to do with his brand of hygiene products, but they are learning what kind of men Old Spice targets.

Successful Components of the Old Spice Twitter Campaign

• Interactivity: Any company can succeed with a social media marketing campaign if representatives read twice as much as they type and open a dialog with followers instead of merely lecturing ad-like posts to the masses. As Old Spice demonstrates, responding to just one customer can start a chain reaction. Every customer wants that attention, and the funniest or most unbelievable posts will go viral.
• Humanization: The Old Spice Twitter page is posted in a manner that suggests it is written by the Old Spice guy himself. The posts read so much like things Mustafa’s character would say that people believe they are connecting with the icon himself.
• Brand Cohesion: The above point creates consistency in the Old Spice branding structure. This means that whether you’re on the Old Spice website, watching a commercial, reading Old Spice tweets or scoping YouTube, you will find the same attitude and representation everywhere.

How to Emulate Online Success Stories like Old Spice & Others

Use the “Ready, Aim, Fire” method for your social media marketing:

• Ready – Create a company culture. Decide which adjectives should best describe the company, ideally, and then embody those traits in all communications.
• Aim – Designate a target market and design communication and representation around the needs of those people.
• Fire – Post often, update pages frequently with fresh content, and stay current.

Old Spice has clearly discovered the keys to success. Are you ready to implement their ideas in your business?

Our mission is simple: to rid the world of cheesy videos. Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with companies from Government to private sector to achieve this goal. Together our video producers, project managers, strategists, and creatives collaborate with our clients to craft authentic and impactful videos that drive meaningful change.

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Old spice response campaign was more popular than obama.

We knew that the Old Spice response campaign was a success, but we weren’t sure just how successful until we saw new statistics released in a case study by Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy. The stats show that Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign was the fastest growing interactive campaign in history. There is no denying that the campaign was a huge success for the brand, catapulting them into the number 1 spot for men’s body wash and making Old Spice a legend in the world of online marketing. Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ began with a single video, which started out online and then went to television. It was an instant success, with Old Spice accounting for 75 percent of all conversations in their category for the first quarter of the year. But the real success of the campaign came last month, when Old Spice launched their response campaign, in which ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ interacted with fans via an onslaught of YouTube videos.

Check out the following statistics and you’ll see that the success of Old Spice’s campaign is impossible to deny:

• The campaign received a shopping 5.9 million YouTube views in the first day. That’s more views that Obama’s victory speech received after the first twenty-four hours!
• On the second day of the campaign, Old Spice accounted for 8 videos out of the 11 most popular videos on the Web.
• By the third day, the Old Spice response campaign had more than 20 million views.
• A week after the campaign launched it boasted over 40 million views.
• As a result of the campaign, Old Spice’s Twitter following increased 2700%, their Facebook fan interaction went up 800%, and the traffic to OldSpice.com went up 300%.
• The campaign catapulted Old Spice into the #1 most viewed branded YouTube channel of all time.
• Since ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign first went live, it has generated over 1.4 billion impressions for the Old Spice brand. And it’s not just about impressions – the brand’s sales are also up 107%, making Old Spice the number one brand for men’s body wash.

Check out W+K’s case study video below to find out more about the vision behind the campaign, its success and to view some fun clips. A brand would have to do an awful lot to replicate the success of Old Spice’s campaign. Do you think we will see anything of this caliber in the near future?

Megan O'Neill

Web series built to educate and entertain

Create a branded content campaign tackling puberty issues that would educate boys and their moms while staying true to the hilariously unique world of Old Spice.

Talking about puberty can be awkward. So when Old Spice was launching their new “Wild Collection” product line for young dudes, they wanted to bring levity and much-needed answers around an oftentimes cringe-worthy subject. Enter the “Old Spice School of Swagger,” an online curriculum featuring an animated web series built to foster conversation between moms and sons about the journey to manhood.

We developed concepts and content for the online curriculum microsite and wrote, designed, and animated the 4-part series. Starting with a deep dive into research about puberty related issues, we brought insights to life with Old Spice spokesmen Isaiah Mustafa and Terry Crews, and a host of new characters developed for the collection including Professor Wolfthorn, Krakengard, and Hawkridge.

The online curriculum, microsite, and “The Struggle is Real: Wild Guide” manual for boys and moms, served as a launching pad for the Old Spice web series. The School of Swagger concepts extended to social media and point-of-purchase marketing helping boys and moms everywhere tackle difficult conversations about the path to manhood, while successfully launching the ultra popular “Old Spice Wild Collection” of antiperspirants and deodorants.

Old Spice’s 2010 Rebrand

Dating back to 1937, Old Spice is a brand with a long and venerable history. It covers a range of men’s grooming products, with its antiperspirants and body washes being among the most popular.

However, despite its many years of success, the company encountered serious branding problems following the turn of the millennium. To counteract them, it launched a daring rebranding campaign, an effort that would go down in history as one of the most successful of its kind.

Image source: Addio.ecrater.com

The Problem

Prior to its 2010 campaign, people saw Old Spice as a relatively uninteresting brand aimed at older generations of men. This isn’t to say that it was all bad – it had a great legacy and certain appeal to it. But it became stagnant, and it certainly did not have an edge that would make it appealing to the younger generations – a demographic the company desperately needed to reach to remain competitive on the market.

In short, Old Spice had an identity crisis. It needed to appeal to new target groups but had no real way of doing so. Or at the very least, no way that was better than what the competition was doing. As a result, it needed a drastic change.

Brandsonify offers high performance Coaching, Branding, Marketing, Advertising, Technology, and AI & Big Data solutions for challenger brands.

The solution.

When it decided to rebrand, Old Spice didn’t hold back. It kept the name but altered almost everything else. Most importantly, it completely changed its tone of voice and positioning – the revamped Old Spice was anything but uninteresting.

Of course, this entailed many changes across different areas, but there is no doubt as to what made this campaign work – the video ads were the absolute stars of the show, and the tone they set continued to guide the company’s marketing efforts to this day.

The first commercial, titled “ The Man Your Man Could Smell Like ” has become the stuff of legend. It first aired online before making its way onto TV, and it was an instant hit, particularly with the younger, internet-savvy generations the company was hoping to attract.

The commercial features Isaiah Mustafa, an actor and former football player, addressing the viewers using snappy sentences in several random environments. It radiates humor and quirkiness, which has allowed it to generate an incredible amount of buzz almost instantly.

The company followed up on this commercial with a series of additional YouTube videos, dubbed the “Response Campaign,” which was met with an equally warm reception.

Mustafa continued to reprise his now-legendary role of “the Old Spice Guy” in subsequent commercials, and the company continued to build upon its success with additional marketing campaigns focused on this brand of humor (the commercials featuring Terry Crews are another crowd-favorite). Old Spice took any sense of seriousness out of its image, and the audience loved it.

Image source: Youtube.com/user/OldSpice

The Results

A huge success across the board, the rebrand completely changed how the public perceived the brand. In particular, that first commercial was a 30-second ad which turned Old Spice from something bland into one of the hottest internet properties overnight.

Naturally, the numbers back this up . Old Spice’s online presence skyrocketed, as did its sales figures. In the end, Old Spice became a brand you could recognize – its outdated image was completely gone, replaced by an energetic, witty, and humorous brand identity. By understanding new trends, Old Spice was able to engage with its target demographic, capitalize on them, and has been reaping the rewards ever since.

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Old Spice Case Study Effectively Harnessing Social Media in Personal Care

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