10:00AM July 26 2010
Swan dives & diamonds: Our thoughts on the Old Spice campaign
Yes, itâs a great concept, yes, the simplicity is genius, and yes, it demonstrates sound channel selection and a smart approach to engaging with celebrities, influencers and the likes of you and me in equal measures. Loads of ticks in loads of boxes, but if I had to hang my hat on one factor that contributed above all to making the Old Spice campaign a roaring success, it would be the creation and construction of a character that on the whole:
1. Appeals to everyone
2. Alienates no-one
Sounds obvious doesnât it? Plenty havenât received such a positive reaction. The Frosties singing kid… The Go Compare opera singer…Anyone whoâs ever appeared in a Halifax advert?
The Old Spice Guy takes the negative, 70′s view of when men were men – and stretches it to its absurd, illogical conclusion, crafting a compelling character people simply want to spend time with. Aside from causing men to spontaneously drop down into the press up position and want to make wine racks out of oak, this has the same affect on both men and women. Itâs too obvious to say that heâs envied by men and adored by women etc, etc. When in fact, the key to his popularity is that both men and women simply âgetâ the over the top humour, self mockery and âI know someone exactly like thisâ bravado. In short, the quality of content was amazing, which fostered a gripping sense of suspense and excitement around what he might say next. Whoever said âsilverfish hand catchâ before?!
The tone, style and delivery humanises the brand without taking itself too seriously, and the unique vocabulary showed a humorous attitude from the Old Spice guys towards their own brand that was only ever going to breed appreciation and create advocacy. Ok, so the construction of this particular character is genius, but letâs strip away the humour for a second…
Old Spice turns to social media as a channel to market
It realises that Old Spice wasnât built to be social. It wasnât created to converse.
Yet, itâs recognised that the future success of the brand is dependent on how quickly it can evolve to meet the desire of a connected people to engage with it.
Acknowledges that people would rather engage with people (in social spaces) than brands. Queue funny, entertaining, and accessible human.
Overwhelming success
It makes sense really. It also suggests that the use of human brand characters is the most effective method we currently have to close the gap between a static juggernaut of a brand and the lightning pace of the web.
Whatâs impressive about this particular example is that it created genuine engagement and participation without abandoning what the brand stands for. They havenât had to reinvent their sturdy positioning, and at no point have they shoved the brand into viewersâ throats. Perfect.
Iâm on a horse.
Richard Webley, Engagement Planner, Headstream
@richwebley
