Old Spice
Old Spice was a brand previously associated with old men. This changed as a result of the legendary social media and video campaign. The ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ YouTube advert got 6 million YouTube views in its first week, netting the P&G brand a sales increase of 125% year-on-year in a highly competitive market dominated by Unilever’s Axe.
The company had two key challenges that were addressed in this campaign by agency Wieden+Kennedy :
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While drawing on the long-standing history and expertise of the brand, increasing sales meant repositioning it to make it relevant to young men.
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Targeting both men and women in order to generate conversation about body wash.
‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’, casting former NFL star Isaiah Mustafa, as the “Old Spice Guy” addresses both challenges. In the 30-second advert, which aired on YouTube a few days before the 2010 Super Bowl and then on TV the day after the game, the charismatic (and shirtless) Mustafa delivers promises of what’s possible “when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.”
Based on its humor, delivery and direct style, the advert went viral, and the brand along with it.
Following the launch of the campaign, the company’s sales more than doubled, their website traffic increased by 300%, the Old Spice YouTube channel became the #1 Most Viewed Sponsored YouTube Channel, and Old Spice became the #1 body wash brand for men. The ad was also the recipient of the 2010 Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.
The success of the video led to an ongoing social media campaign to keep the internet buzz going. Wieden+Kennedy's solution was the Response Campaign, in which the Old Spice Guy would respond to questions submitted by fans through a variety of social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter, through a series of YouTube videos.
In less than three days, Wieden+Kennedy filmed over 180 video responses to questions from fans and celebrities, and then posted them on YouTube. Within the first day, the Response Campaign had accumulated 5.9 million views; within one week, the number grew to over 40 million. The brand’s YouTube channel more than doubled from 65,000 to 150,000 subscribers, while their Twitter and Facebook followings soared by 2,700% and 800%, respectively.
By the end of July 2010, sales were up 125% year on year, and by the year’s end, Old Spice had become the #1 selling brand of body wash for men in the US. In May 2013, the company once again leveraged the success of its YouTube campaign and launched two new video ads to sell its latest shave gel products. Together, the two videos totalled over 7.6 million views in just two weeks.