Old Spice Guy, Smell Like A Man, Man

2010

Date: 4 February 2010 · Place: Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Oregon · Figures: Isaiah Mustafa, actor · Wieden+Kennedy creative team · Craig Allen and Eric Kallman, copywriters · Tags: Branded Viral, Single Take, Super Bowl Adjacent 01. The Man Your Man Could Smell Like Wieden+Kennedy launches the Old Spice campaign Smell Like a Man, Man on 4 February 2010 around the Super Bowl. The thirty-second spot stars former NFL practice-squad receiver Isaiah Mustafa addressing women directly while moving through a shower, a yacht, and a beach in what appears to be a single continuous take. The ad's success comes less from the broadcast than from the YouTube upload, which accumulates 40 million views within months. 02. The Real-Time Response Campaign In July 2010 Wieden+Kennedy and Mustafa film 186 short personalized response videos in two days, answering tweets and Reddit comments in character. The campaign is the first major real-time social-response brand activation. Old Spice body wash sales rise 107 percent year over year. The format is studied as the proof case for branded responsiveness, replicated by Wendy's, Denny's, and Burger King through the next decade. Sources • KnowYourMeme, 'Old Spice Guy' • Wieden+Kennedy campaign archive • Advertising Age, 'Old Spice Sales Double in Three Months' (28 July 2010)