Smell like a Man, Man was a television advertising campaign in the Unites States created by ad agency Wieden + Kennedy for Old Spice. The campaign was centred around the theme ‘The Man You Could Smell Like”, and it targeted female viewers (despite being for males) because the company recognised that 60% of women make purchasing decisions for male household members in regards to hygiene products.
The goal of the campaign was to increase body wash sales by 15%, but by May 2010, sales of Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash had increased 60% from the previous year. By July 2010, sales had doubled. Also, according to Visible Measures ‘old spice’ was one of the fastest-growing video campaigns of all time.
So, why was it such an outstanding campaign?
Clear target audience – It was clear that the target audience was males but also females who may buy hygiene products for men.
Concise and short video – The video is short and straight to the point which means it can easily be adapted or repurposed to suit different channels. Creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, said “people don’t generally want to sit through long things”.
Variety of Media channel – Old Spice was released for the first time during the Super Bowl in 2010 which was one of the reasons the video went viral. The video was also distributed among many media channels such as social media (Facebook and Twitter) and Youtube to ensure a high number of target audiences are reached.
Creative marketing strategy – The storyline was entertaining and the marketing message was clear.
In sync marketing team – Creative director at Wieden + Kennedy , Jason Bagley states”Obviously we got the scripts and the executions approved by [Old Spice] ahead of time, but when it comes to the Youtube video, there [wasn’t] time for an approval process”. “With that, we just [had] a whole lot of mutual trust.” Therefore, Old Spice was supposedly able to balance careful monitoring without any confusion.
Engagement with fans – Isaiah Mustafa (former footballer) who played the Old Spice Man in the commercial interacted with fans in the form of questions. Fans were given the opportunity to ask him questions and 180 video responses were created some included a marriage proposal and exchanges from celebrities. This frequent interaction with fans was another reason the advertisement was so successful and it would have created a long lasting reaction that people would remember.
So, what digital marketing campaigns have been memorable to you and what do you think made them so successful?
Digital Growth Unleashed 3.0 
Good read Kiki I loved this. I found the best digital campaign I have seen is the Airbnb one have you seen it? It just relinquishes a sense of togetherness.
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Hi Isabelle, Yes I have seen the Airbnb campaign I definitely think it provided consumers with a sense of security and place to call home.
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Hi Kiki love this post on Old Spice! The most memorable digital marketing campaign for me was defiantly Coke’s ‘Share A Coke’. I believe it was effective as it was so unique and has never been done before. It was also very personalised which drew consumers to purchase a bottle as it had their name on it!! They advertised in so many different ways including TV, social media and I remember them having pop up stalls in shopping centres where you could make your own coke can with your name on it. By advertising in so many ways they were able to reach such a diverse range of people making it super successful 🙂
My blog: https://erinsinsights.wordpress.com/2019/04/07/80-20-rule/ !!
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Hi Erin, I remember the ‘Share A Coke’ campaign I believe it truly created a more personal relationship with the consumers and it definitely left a mark.
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Kiki! Don’t hate me but I actually haven’t seen that campaign before!!! Only recently have I heard about it. Your insights in this blog couldn’t be more valid and I think with the pressures of technology and social media today, executing a concise and cohesive marketing plan can be difficult due to the reason that the shift of control from marketers to consumers.
However, a successful marketing campaign that has truly stuck with me is this Thai Insurance campaign which gives me so much life and joy! You have to check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=632CHpeHYZE
Thank you for your read 🙂
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Linna!!!!
You need to watch the campaign it’s iconic!
I do agree with you though, the Thai Insurance ad was very good, it was warm and provided me with a sense of comfort.
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Hey Kiki,
I use to love this ad so much!! I remember it being really funny and I think that was the main reason I started paying attention to it.. the cute guy on a horse was also a plus haha.
I think my personal favourite digital marketing campaign was for Wendy’s Restaurants in the States, because they used similar self-aware humour and engagement on social media with audiences.
thanks for the read 🙂
Alyssa
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Hi Alyssa,
I have not seen a marketing campaign by Wendy’s Restaurants, I will definitely have a look!
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I remember when this came out i literally started buying Old Spice and had never heard of it before. The most memorable i can think of is probably the ALS ice bucket challenge that raised so much awareness
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Hi Joel, I actually participated in the ASL ie bucket challenge I definitely think the campaign successfully created awareness about the disease because the campaign was so engaging and allowed people to participate.
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