A man bakes you a cake in a kitchen that he had just built for you, and asks you to go with him
for a relaxing Jacuzzi swim afterward. He says you can ride on his fast classic motorcycle, and also
mentions that he has a secret present for you which turns out to be your favorite bands concert tickets,
as well as a handful of diamonds. After word he mentions “swan diving into the best night of your life.”
Are you interested? Hell, I’m even drawn to that.
That’s the point. The old spice advertising campaign, “The man your man could smell like”
illustrates several exaggerated scenarios in which a man performs heroic woman- pleasing acts
that arise the question of how important scent is to women and also the materials and
activities in which females find pleasing and attractive.
The scent of a man is an icon in which represents his cleanliness and hygiene. It gives
people around him an insight as to who he is, what he does, and how he wishes to portray
himself. Scent is almost a window into someone’s life when you don’t even know them, or
anything about them whatsoever. Its like a handshake or a first impression, it reveals your
character simply, without scratching much into the surface, however it exposes so much.
Women, being naturally attracted to cleanliness and upper class as a sign of respect and
high society , are drawn to a clean smelling man opposed to an average non scented man. Of
several women in which I have spoken with, almost all have agreed upon the final fact that a
clean, fresh scented man is more likely to get their attention than the average one. It arises
senses and stimulates sensations. It presents a form of personal awareness and the motivation
to keep good status. By exhibiting that one smells good, it shows that they are familiar with
style and others views upon them, and at the same time presents expression and caring of their
personality.
On top of that it gives off a reputation via word of mouth. Girls gossip constantly and
talk amongst each other about issues exactly like this one. Once someone finds something
intriguing about another individual it immediately changes their view upon that person. It
formulates a new idea in their head based upon knowledge they received through the
grapevine. Thus, by smelling attractive you set off a reaction of controversy among those who
recognize your scent. You build a personal image, a figure among others of who you are and
what you stand for.
None the less, old spice is an ancient name that has a strong history behind it of
credibility, and the fact that it is such a strong company today just proves its progression over
time, and a stable company with reliability in products that continuously are outputted on the
market is an impeccable sign in today’s economy. Old spice mens products entered the market
originally in 1938, introducing after shave and shaving soap. Again, refreshment products that
present scent and good potent smells. With main stream advertising and icons like Isaih
Mustafa representing a product, it sets the stage for a smooth visual product to consumer
transfer. The work is delivered to the audience through a process of smooth transitions in
which the main character, Mustafa, runs the viewers eyes through a race of progressions. The
backdrop scenes around him follow what he is describing, presenting an artsy and comical feel
with a sense of seriousness in his voice and tone in which he is speaking. This is the entire
appealing aspect of the advertisement. He is being completely serious, but is greatly aware of
the audacity of the acts going on around him. They are entirely ridiculous. In one ad, The scene
opens with him on a boat with a picnic for a women, and he is wearing a mustache. He then
rips it off to present a cleaner, less rugged man with an emotional soft side, again something
women tend to like. After the fake mustache is removed, to viewers surprise he removes his
upper lip area, to expose an underlying mustache. Who would expect that? Its funny, clever,
and original. That’s the aspect that sells the product and makes the 45 second clips so greatly
interesting to viewers. This is the path that sends the message to the viewer. The audience
could be anyone from ages 12 to 50 and they would still find it amusing. All of it in turn which
relates to the old spice fragrance and product. He makes the point that you can look, feel, and
be as successful and brilliant as he is if you use the product.
The claim that the ad presents is that if you use great smelling old spice products then
you can be as great looking as this wonder man, and in turn get women. The events Mustafa
initially describes drawn the viewer in regardless if it’s a man or women. You just get intrigued.
Your curious as to if what he is saying will work, and how effective his tactics actually are. It stirs
the imagination and makes you feel like you are off of your game. Like you could be doing much
better and should be, like you have been missing this all your life and now that its here You will
be as attractive and appealing as any women’s most desirable man.
The argument directed to the viewer comes off in a strong emotion that is very
persuasive and impressionable because of the tone used. Mustafa comes off to the audience
with an attitude that almost says, “im better than you.” Its almost like you immediately look up
to him, or respect him in a sense because he has a form of seniority. Because of this aspect, the
viewer has a tendency to listen to him more and believe what he is saying. This is partially
because he is being entertaining at the same time. That’s the fantastic part of the argument. Its
highly effective because it puts you down, and then tells you how to be better. For people who
cant figure it out themselves, it opens a door for them and says, “this is the way.” To boot, Its
easy to follow and interesting to watch, and at the same time he brings up valid points in which
you are more prone to listen to. In addition he exhibits a form of knowledge about what
women desire and are attracted to, which makes the less confident man feel like he can learn
from what Mustafa is saying. Its almost as if he is a coach to building you to a more attractive
and desirable man. He also is giving you recommendations as to what tools you can use to
achieve this.
As he is recommending Old Spice fragrance, showing you how it makes him look and
how it works for him, it makes you believe you can do the same if you use the same products as
he does. At the same time you are almost attracted and intrigued by his lifestyle and abilities,
making the product he is selling even more appealing.
The layout of the commercial is arranged in a process of events that gradually lead into
one another and get better and more interesting than the last one, presenting a sense that
things continuously get better for you when you use Old Spice fragrance. It’s such an interesting
layout and such a simple visual that it works brilliantly. It’s exciting to watch and funny at the
same time, all while keeping you drawn to the product and sparking your interest of its effects.
The Role of style and tone are the most important aspects of the entire campaign. It’s
such a serious compelling attitude with non serious events and backgrounds. The main
character selling the entire argument over to you is a man who is attractive, confident, and has
plenty of self esteem; he makes you want to be like him. He shows he is smooth with the ladies,
great at what he does and respectable at doing it. He derives all the qualities in which you wish
you had and expresses that he has them. He then reveals his secret on how he attributed such
incredible success, and that ties in the relation to the old spice name. He has Proctor and
gamble to thank for their manly selling fragrances. They release his inner man side that has an
exceptional ruggedness of raw man, building things, riding fast motor cycles, and being
particularly built in body stature. This intertwined with the emotional and softer man side of
baking, relaxing in hot tubes and riding horses on the beach, as well as participating in romantic
boat picnics and sentimental days on a yacht present the perfect well rounded ladies man. Not
to mention his ability to give women the delightful gifts in which their heart always desires.
Whether it be tickets to her favorite concert or show, or an elegant collection of flawless
diamonds, He and old Spice have what you need. Get your act together and smell strong, be
like them and get the beautiful girl of your dreams, and do it by smelling like a man, man. That
is the famous ending quote, ending all of the commercials on a confident note. It translates
through the commercials context to mean “Hey buddy,” smell like the attractive man in which
you wish to become. Stand up and get some confidence. Be what you have always wanted to
be around women, and start with smelling fantastic. Who cares about Old spice fragrances?
Those who want to get noticed. Those who are fantastic. The ones that women envy and talk
on the phone till early hours of the morning with their girlfriend about, That’s who. Bottom line
being- get noticed and start racking in those female phone calls from the women you had
always wish called you.