Salman Husain
Strategic Message Plan
1.
Product Summary:
Old Spice offers High Endurance Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant which is a product applied
to the underarms to prevent and reduce perspiration. It comes in a variety of collections based
on scents, package design and features. They consist of “Clear Gel,” “Fresh Collection,” “Sweat
Defense” and “Invisible Solid.” These products are exclusively for men’s use and feature
masculine scents including the original Old Spice fragrance as well as scents that try to define
sportiness or athleticism through musk and various other fresh and masculine smells. Each
collection has a unique design. The Invisible Solid packaging comes in both the traditional Old
Spice design that is red and a new design that is sleek and white, evoking a feeling of “cool” and
quality. Another notable packaging design is the Fresh Collection which features smells from
different areas of the world and has exotic illustrations such as palm trees to represent Fiji. The
product does not produce visible clumps or offensive white streaks and has high endurance,
lasting more than 12 hours according to many consumers. It also does not feel uncomfortable or
noticeable during daily use. Most of the products range from $2 to $4 on average and are
available in most retail/drug stores.
The parent company of Old Spice is Procter & Gamble Company, the
world's largest maker of consumer packaged goods. The company was founded in 1873 and is
based in Cincinnati, OH. It operates in the consumer goods sector and the personal products
industry within the segments of Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Pet Care, Fabric Care and Home
Care, and Baby Care and Family Care. Old Spice’s antiperspirant products fall under beauty. The
CEO and President is Robert A. McDonald. It employs about 129,000 full time employees and
made $82,599,000,000 in sales in the fiscal year 2011. Its main competition company-wide
includes Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Unilever. Some of Old Spice’s
competitors include Unilever’s AXE and Henkel’s Right Guard. Procter & Gamble operates on
the New York Stock Exchange. The company was ranked 27 on the 2012 Fortune 500 list.
Antiperspirant falls under the industry of “Perfumes, Cosmetics, and Other Toilet
Preparations” with the NAICS code of 325620. It includes manufacturing of deodorants,
shampoos, lotions, toothpastes, shaving products, etc.
2. Target Audience:
The target audience for Old Spice has shifted from a generation of men within the 40 to
60 age range to a younger market of men 12 to 34 (NY TIMES). This age group seeks personal
hygiene products which reflect youthfulness and masculinity. The masculine and musky scents
appeal to this mindset which is why Old Spice introduced new scents and sleek packaging
designs to transition away from the association their original scent often has with older men.
This age group is concerned or insecure about developing masculine identities and turn to
products which project that image. This makes them vulnerable to humor which plays off the
theme of masculinity and advertising which use physically fit and good-looking men as models
for masculine behavior. Their advertising effectively uses social media with popular television
commercials that went viral and 200 follow up short ads circulated throughout the internet and
YouTube. They also have a noticeable Twitter presence for this age group. The ads contain
“male-style” communication which involves short statements and characters using imperative
voice to demand consumers to purchase the project. The humor involves good-looking actors
that “smell like the man your man could smell like.” Old Spice has also used humor to target
women and female partners or family members of men within this target audience because
women do the majority of shopping. Advertising can influence women to purchase a product
they think will make their partners more masculine in some capacity. Old Spice also targets
African-American males because the residue of antiperspirant products is often more visible on
dark skin tones and the product limits white streaks.
3. Product Benefits:
Avoiding unwanted residue, body odor and perspiration will improve a man’s
appearance and ability to attract women. Advertisements which feature masculine, self-assured
men who have an endearingly arrogant sense of humor can give men that use the product a
feeling of confidence by claiming an association to these qualities. This helps reinforce a
masculine identity.
4. Current Brand Image:
The product projects the image of a masculine and hip lifestyle. Marketing and
advertisement of the process has transitioned to younger males through the use of social media
and humor that appeal to those demographics. Advertisements using funny actors and clever
dialogue became discussion topics among friends, co-workers and bloggers. Old Spice is viewed
as socially relevant “laugh out loud” worthy as well as masculine through its scents and the
physical fitness and sex appeal of the actors used in its commercials.
5. Desired Brand Image:
The target audience should continue to discuss the Old Spice products due to clever
marketing and continue viewing the brand as hip, refreshing and funny. This should create the
idea that Old Spice is not just “your dad’s” product anymore, but also a dynamic product with
multiple, masculine scents to choose from.
6. Direct Competitors:
a. Axe antiperspirant and deodorant targets essentially the same target audience as Old
Spice. Axe’s brand image and marketing/promotion is more focused on pure sex appeal.
Its advertisements depict men who attract good-looking women represented by models
that project sex appeal. The idea is that using the product makes men smell fresh, look
clean and become desirable.
b. Right Guard markets its products as the athlete’s product. Its advertisements often
feature athletic settings like the locker room and the most recent ads on their websites
use athletes as actors, such as Kevin Love, a professional basketball player in the NBA.
Their website is designed to look like a men’s locker room as well. It associates the
product with excellence in sports and conveys the message that Right Guard is reliable
in many situations, even when performing athletic activities.
c. DegreeMen antiperspirants also project a very athletic brand image but consistently
reference the use of their products in more adrenaline-pumping sports/outdoor
activities such as mountain climbing, snowboarding and parachuting (jumping off of
cliffs with gliding equipment). The use of athletes such as Bear Grylls, considered by
some to be a survival expert, suggests that the product is reliable in the most extreme
environments. The idea is that the product is used by real athletes.
7. Indirect Competitors:
a. Burt’s Bee’s Herbal spray is marketed as a natural, toxin-free alternative to
antiperspirant products that allows the body to sweat while eliminating body odor. This
is indirect competition because it is applied through a spray and unlike antiperspirant
does not claim to block or prevent perspiration.
b. Although Old Spice has body wash, a body wash of any kind represents indirect
competition to Old Spice’s antiperspirant. Shower gels/washes can eliminate body odor,
come in a variety of long-lasting, masculine scents. Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort body
wash is viewed as a high-quality and relatively inexpensive product.
8. Advertising Goal:
To perpetuate an image of masculinity and social relevance with current and future
members of the target audience.
9. Strategic Message:
Use of Old Spice antiperspirant products will contribute to a masculine and sexy identity
and presence.
10. Features and Benefits:

Masculine scents/odor protection  sex appeal

Minimal visibility of residue  long-lasting cleanliness

Old Spice brand  trust in quality products

Association with Old Spice advertising  popularity and perception of hipness
References
http://lovell.com/advertising/old-spice%E2%80%94not-just-your-dad%E2%80%99s-after-shaveanymore/
http://today.yougov.com/news/2011/05/13/old-spice/
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-10-31/old-spices-extreme-makeover
http://www.epinions.com/review/Procter_Gamble_Old_Spice_Fresh_Collection_Anti_Perspirant_Deod
orant_Invisible_Solid_Denali_2_6_oz/content_541766618756?sb=1
http://www.getthefive.com/articles/the-marketeer/old-spice-and-its-muscle-music-go-viral/
http://www.instant.ly/blog/2012/07/how-old-spice-got-a-new-image/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/business/media/17adco.html
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Chemicals-Allied/Perfumes-Cosmetics-Other-ToiletPreparations.html#b
http://www.rohitbhargava.com/2010/07/why-the-old-spice-guy-might-be-the-perfect-brandingcampaign.html