Old Spice was in dire need of a revamp in order to resurrect its failing company in 2010. Old Spice hired the agency Wieden+Kennedy to help them compete with hipper brands—such as Axe—to appeal to every man rather than just “old” men.
According to Marketing Strategy, Book 1 of the SMstudy® Guide in order to launch a successful marketing campaign you must “Identify the competition, create a differentiated positing statement for the product, and select the target market segments.” Old Spice accomplished their face-lift by doing just that.
The “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign debuted during the 2010 Super Bowl, with Isiah Mustafa as the face of the brand. Mustafa teased the female audience in “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial, associating Old Spice with luxury and the “perfect man” (obviously, see image below). The commercial spread like wildfire through all platforms of social media thanks to its humorous and entertaining monologue. The initial video gained more views in 24 hours than President Obama’s presidential victory speech. Three months after the commercial aired, sales had increased by 55 percent. Old Spice followed up with several commercials in the coming months and they all had one thing in common, they all began with hunky Mustafa saying the line, “Hello ladies” making it crystal clear that he was comparing himself to “their man.”
Due to the campaign’s success, the Old Spice YouTube channel is both the number one most subscribed to and the number one most viewed sponsor channel. The initial video gained more views in 24 hours than President Obama’s presidential victory speech. Building on its success, Old Spice decided to venture in a new direction of marketing—fragmented new-age marketing. According to Marketing Strategy, Book 1 of the SMstudy® Guide, “While mass media marketing is less targeted and primarily focused on affecting emotional attitudes about the brand, new-age marketing is data-driven and more focused on driving specific calls to action by engaging.”
Old Spice took to social media to generate even more publicity by tweeting, "Today could be just like the other 364 days you log into Twitter, or maybe the Old Spice Man shows up @Old Spice." And show up he did. Mustafa soon appeared on Twitter responding to tweets in near-real-time videos. Within two days, Old Spice released more than 180 “shout-outs,” that were scripted, filmed, and posted online within 15 minutes of the initial Tweet. Old Spice specifically responded to questions posed by celebrities and others with large networks to not only maximize reach, but also to target those who have credibility and influence over social media users.
Old Spice’s Twitter following increased by 1,000 percent and the commercial received more than seven million views in one week alone, making it the fastest growing interactive campaign ever. Wieden+Kennedy breathed new life into a crotchety old brand, and Old Spice—and all the ladies—couldn’t have been happier.
