4 Things I learned from Old Spice Man About Marketing!

Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by Corey Tess in Editorial and Opinion, Featured, Marketing & Design

Learn Marketing from the Old Spice Man!

Old Spice is like Oldsmobile…  someone drives/uses them, but it certainly isn’t you or anyone you would consider having drinks with… right… Their new campaign featuring a hot man speaking only to WOMEN in a pseudo “romance novelish” series of scenes offering women tickets to “that thing you love” which quickly turn into diamonds is hysterical! This product truly suffered from being “out of style” and pigeon holded as something your Dad used that someone always gave him along with Soap on a Rope for Christmas. It was definitely not HOT or Modern!

The new campaign virtually resurrects OLD SPICE from the dead! Why is this so effective?

#1) Humor is a gift…

If you want people to love you and your product or service, humor is the #1 way to make them immediately appreciate and identify. WHY? because when someone can make us laugh, they have made us happy and brightened our day for a moment and that moment caused a positive reaction association with the product/service. Every time you see a duck or even Ben Afleck’s name.. someone shouts out AFLAC!  and Geico has a series of great ads that made them a household name including the Cavemen, the Money with Eyes and the famous Gecko who originally would get wrong number calls from the phone book when people were looking for Geico (making the odd name a memorable image). Sex sells as they say, but can also offend..  HUMOR, you cannot go wrong with it!

#2) Viral Space & Have you seen this?

Whether it is the humor or the gorgeous man, this video has been shared millions of times since it aired and he comes up in conversation on twitter, facebook, myspace etc.. I have talked to my friends about him and heard women in the market talking about him.. BUT THE PRODUCT IS FOR MEN! Ah Ha! But like the AXE commercials TRY to show, men’s goal is to impress women…  it is the ONLY reason they wear cologne in the first place (gay guys.. you just liked the ad because dude is hot! and anyway, nothing would persuade you to wear Old Spice and you know it- mmmWAH!) The ad conjuries up this man’s image with the mention of it’s name..  and men cannot possibly help but notice the reaction he causes, after a while, the image may fade, but the positive association to OLD SPICE remains and now it brings words like “Sexy, Rich, Funny, Hot” to mind..  Bravo!

#3) Keep it Brief! (or in briefs)

This ad goes by super fast.. they don’t waste a moment of air time and the urgency of his introduction and the set changes CATCH your attention! He is talking JUST TO YOU and he is moving fast.. the ad is over by the time you are able to react and you what? WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN!  Lingering would have made it less funny and given you enough content to feel satisfied, however, his last words “I’m on a horse” cut.. the image is indelible, funny, sexy and GONE..  it leaves a great mark..  and you will most likely look it up on YouTube later or ask someone; “Have you seen that Old Spice ad?”

#4 Come Out of Left Field

Think about how many ads a day you see that are boring or extremely similar to other ads featuring similar products. One good example is Shampoo..  think for a moment about Shampoo ads..  aren’t they all the same.. they have a model with frizzy hair (or an actress we know from some tv show) she uses the product and we see some animation of how it nurtures the hair from inside, then the final shot – she is all glam now and her hair is so glossy it actually shines.. she spins or tosses her hair and says the tag line for the product and its over…  BORING! Most ads stay in formula.. this ad comes out of no where, from it’s opening scene to the closing line, you are off kilter and have no idea where it is going… it surprises you. Approaching a product like Old Spice could have been similar to the ad for Aqua Velva that features a man playing catch with his son, then tossing him a bottle of the  green liquid, then we see them shaving together – then the tag line.. BORING! Does that make ANYONE want to use Aqua Velva??? No, it is just as dowdy and old fashioned as ever! SURPRISE your audience and make them pay attention.. come out of left field!

These rules work for any product or service really. Something as serious as Insurance.. or as light hearted as Candy..

What are your favorite ads that follow this formula?

Tags: advertising, funny, funny commercial, funny video, hot man, humor, marketing, media, old spice, old spice man