In today’s society, no matter where we look, we are constantly being bombarded by advertisements – companies trying to convince us that their product is better than their competitors. Most I find annoying and many times I wonder how individuals actually get paid to produce such nonsense. The ones that captivate my attention are the ones that are creative and clever and the ones which use unusual humour.
According to Old Spice, they have 71 years of experience helping guys improve their mansmells with deodorant, antiperspirant, and fragrances. However, it is only within the past year that Old Spice has dominated the internet and created such buzz. Old Spice’s ads “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” starring a bare-chested Isaiah Mustafa, launched in February and since then has generated over 70 million hits. Their ad has hit the Internet by storm with a series of hilarious videos about smelling good. Last week, Old Spice and ad agency Wieden + Kennedy used social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to answer questions from fans with personalized video messages. The first of these videos were filmed on Monday and released on Tuesday, and according to Visible Measures, a company that tracks viral videos, reported that the videos had already received an unprecendented16.3 million views as of Friday afternoon.
To give you an idea of some of the most popular viral videos to date (based on the first 24 hours):
Old Spice responses to viewers: 5.9 million
Barack Obama’s victory speech: 4.8 million
George W. Bush dodging shoes: 4.4 million
Susan Boyle: 3 million
Old Spice is using the ABCs – Authenticity, Bravery, and Consistency – of social media success. They are using an authentic character answering real questions from real people. This was a brave move as the videos which encourage men to smell like men, from the shower, on a horse, etc could have been a flop from the start. Old Spice, who, since February knew they had a hit on their hands, has been consistent with keeping the buzz going for the campaign. The company has combined the superpowers of advertising and social media, whereby social media has revolutionized how individuals are connected.
This is the first campaign which answers individuals’ questions so personally and so quickly, in a way where the acting and writing are both brilliant and it leaves the consumer demanding more. Other companies will indefinitely jump on the bandwagon and will shift their focus to responding to users in real time. I have no problem with this, as long as the catch phrases are as out-of-this-world as ““Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.” [Smell like a man, man. Old Spice]”