In recent years, Old Spice has reinvented itself through highly creative marketing campaigns that are quirky, entertaining, and appeal to a younger demographic. The company picked up Terry Crews and Isaiah Mustafa in 2010, but the fiercely different advertising personas hadn’t meet until last summer’s Make A Smellmitment campaign. Featuring both actors in the same campaign was a great way to reinforce brand equity amongst previous fans while minimizing production costs.
The cross-promotional campaign features a rivalry between the explode-in-your-face antics of Terry (for Old Spice Bear Glove) and the cool and suave style of Isaiah (for Old Spice Timer and Swagger). The two are constantly “interrupting” each other’s commercials to sell their respective Old Spice scents, and the result is a highly entertaining experience that ties together previously opposing narratives in a slapstick comical way.
Here’s the first ad:
And So It Begins:
A couple from the middle:
Checkmate:
Windsurfing:
And the last ad in the campaign:
Truce:
"...and you see the differences, [gesturing towards Isaiah] smooth [to himself] a little rough... it's like spicy meets sweet, and it'd make a great barbecue sauce!"
-Terry Crews, Old Spice, Make a Smellmitment: Behind The Scenes
If you’d like to check out the whole campaign, click here!
Thanks for reading,
-JS
As the Super Bowl draws near, so too does the mecca for over-the-top commercials. While many brands will pay thousands, if not millions for a 30 second commercial spot, Old Spice has successfully re-branded themselves as the go-to for ridiculous advertising.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite Old Spice ad portrays a man, riding on the back of a whale, hitting golf balls and baseballs out of the whale's blowhole all while posing for the paparazzi.
Ads that push the envelope are often the ones that get remembered and I believe Old Spice has positioned themselves within the market as the top creator for ludicrous advertising methods.
I grew up thinking Old Spice was an old man's deodorant. Now I wear Old Spice. Not sure if that makes me an old man, or is just a testament to successful advertising. I'd like to think the latter.
I think Old Spice commercials attract the audience in a wacky, yet successful way. With the clutter of advertising in the media every day, companies have to find ways to stand out in order to get their messages across. Although I don't quite know what their message is exactly, I think Old Spice does a good job standing out with it's odd humor.
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