Smell Like a Man, Man
A Public Relations Analysis of
the Old Spice Campaign
Candice Korecki
BUS 116: Communication Planning I
McCracken
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Table of Contents
Smell Like a Man, Man ............................................................................................... 1
Historical and Personal Perspective .......................................................................... 1
Tactics .................................................................................................................... 3
Ethical and Legal Issues........................................................................................... 4
Recommendations ................................................................................................... 5
References.......................................................................................................... 9
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C. Korecki | A00049396
Smell Like a Man, Man
A Public Relations Analysis of
the Old Spice Campaign
Historical and Personal Perspective
What are the organization’s communication goals?
Old Spice, a product manufactured by Procter & Gamble, is a key brand for male grooming
products, such as aftershave, deodorant, body wash and body sprays. Originally, this brand
focused its marketing efforts on an older, male demographic, even though the competition for
this target audience was quite fierce. In the last ten years the Old Spice brand has employed the
minds of many individuals, particularly those at the Weiden + Kennedy agency, to develop a
youthful brand image that would create a strong link with the target market. The target audience
that Old Spice was trying to attract was no longer the older, male demographic that promoted the
brand images of old sailors and grandfathers; the focus was to target young men, who were
technologically savvy and social media advocates. Engaging this particular group in the market
through various mediums (i.e. social media platforms, online video responses, television
commercials, etc.) would not only help Old Spice improve their brand image and customer
perception, but also increase the sales of the Old Spice product line.
What audiences are being targeted?
Old Spice was coming into the new millennium and wanted to reach a hip, young, and
sophisticated male audience. This consumer target was a major consumer of social media, and
the personality of these people compelled them to share media with their peers. Throughout the
early 2000’s, the male–grooming market was becoming more and more detached from traditional
forms of advertising, like television, so Old Spice adapted their strategy to engage with this new,
modern audience of consumers. Old Spice targeted people who were influential in the online
space; people like bloggers who were well respected in the online community, or members of
websites who could post or stream videos, share links to other pages and members in their
groups. Known or not, these people acted as brand advocates and could spread the message of
Old Spice to multitudes of people faster than any advertising campaign.
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What legal/ethical issues has it faced, or will it face in the future? Can you make
comparisons to similar situations of companies?
Although the rebranding efforts done by Weiden + Kennedy with Old Spice has seen no past
official legal issues, the brand does demonstrate the near-impossible, overly-dramatic events in
their advertising with Isaiah Mustafa, or the Old Spice Guy. There are standards and codes in
effect for the use of over-dramatization in advertisements, but the blurred area in which this
campaign chose to conduct its efforts was on the online market.
Another potential issue that the brand faced early in its fame was the challenge from actress
Alyssa Milano, for the Old Spice Guy to donate $100,000 to the National Wildlife Federation’s
Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. Although this risk seemed irrelevant at its first instance, it
generated enough awareness about the cause that people questioned whether the challenge would
be accepted. People were more interested on how Procter & Gamble were going to tackle this
publicity than Old Spice.
Finally, the last point to make when dealing with the potential issues of the Old Spice campaign,
is in reference to the sexist connotations and offenses made to their current market. The
campaign, although a key goal was to rebrand Old Spice, was focused on a younger male
demographic, which to Procter & Gamble would possess a greater sales potential than their
previous market. Their advertisements were random, irrelevant and somewhat confusing which
made older men question the direction of the Old Spice brand. Another key consideration for the
Old Spice campaign was that the advertisements, although targeted to young men, directed their
attention to young women. This was mostly due to past market research that showed that women
were the main consumer goods purchased of the household. Old Spice used this knowledge to
their advantage, casting an attractive ex-NFL player in the main role as the Old Spice Guy to
convey the sexy, strong image the brand wanted to now promote.
Why did you choose this organization?
In choosing this organization/brand for this public relations analysis, I wanted to have a better
understanding of the uses of social media and how it can help an organization with public
perception. Often companies are not engaging enough with their direct and indirect audiences,
and simply use social media because it has become the norm to do in business operations. I
wanted to use this organization to educate myself, as well as others, on the proper uses of social
media.
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Tactics
Search engine optimization
Before the debut of the Man Your Man Could Smell Like commercial during the 2010 Super
Bowl, Old Spice used key terms associated with the America event on the brand’s Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube accounts to generate buzz around the new campaign. The purpose of this
tactic was to drive more online traffic around the brand and the new campaign to its targeted
audience – young men and women.
Creation of a YouTube channel
Providing a platform for followers to view the video content of the Man Your Man Could Smell
Like campaign was a critical element of the Old Spice communication strategy. This platform
could be used to track and analyze video feedback and comments from viewers, while
monitoring the responsiveness of their videos. This tactic targeted young men and women who
are constantly connected to their circle of friends, and often use this social media platform to
share content they enjoy.
Updated Facebook profile and Twitter page
Old Spice redesigned their Facebook page to meet the growing interest and awareness of their
popular commercial. The company could use this social media platform to engage with their
young audience with status updates, as well as provide links so that their followers could share
their content across the web.
Create video responses to questions from consumers
These responses were personalized interactions with campaign spokesperson through social
media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. The audience, which was young men and
women in their mid-20s, could post comments and/or tweets to the Old Spice Guy. From there, a
creative team was assembled to develop short responses, which Isaiah Mustafa would act out,
and then would be posted to YouTube in almost real-time. Consumers were able to interact with
this fictional character, which created an increase in brand awareness and an overall improved
impression of the outdated brand.
Interview with Kevin Pereira about new Old Spice commercial
After the success of the new Old Spice campaign, Isaiah Mustafa was a guest star on many
television shows where he was interviewed to discuss his success as the Old Spice spokesperson.
Most notably, his interview with Kevin Pereira, host of Attack of the Show, discusses the magic
associated with developing an extravagant commercial, such as the one that premiered at the
2010 Super Bowl. The interviews that came from the success of the Old Spice commercial
continued to demonstrate the importance of connecting with the brand’s new target audience.
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Video responses to key online influencers
Through the video response campaign the company employed after the success of the Super
Bowl commercial, Old Spice used social media and online connections to target specific opinion
leaders. Individuals like Ellen DeGeneres, Perez Hilton, Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Rose posted
statuses, tweets or comments about the Old Spice Guy and his ridiculous yet amazing videos.
The purpose of targeting these opinion leaders is because of their large fan-base and influence on
their respective audiences – Old Spice was using these people to tap into a new reserve of
potential customers.
Ethical and Legal Issues
Old Spice engineered the Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign to re-invent the brand in
the personal hygiene market with creative and edgy appeals. The campaign uses an attractive and
physically appealing front man, Isaiah Mustafa, to communicate the message to the audience,
which is both humorous and excessive in nature. The overall Old Spice campaign promotes
sexual imagery and demonstrates unethical advertising practices by making false promises to its
consumers about product benefits. The campaign message expresses the notion that men can be
more masculine and desirable to women through the use of their products, which is considered
false advertising.
Messages communicated in advertisements and other promotional activities should reflect the
values and conduct of the company. Integrity, leadership and a passion for winning are the core
values that Old Spice believes in and implements into all divisions of the company. Being honest
and straightforward with its consumers is also another principle that Old Spice upholds and
believes that their brand operates in the “spirit of the law.” (Procter & Gamble, 2013).
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign uses sexual appeals to draw the attention of its
female target audience, although the products are intended for the use of male consumers. When
developing their campaign, Old Spice faced the issue that their messages being communicated
may have be offensive to their intended target audience and that the company focused on
attracting a younger male demographic with messages that promoted sexual activities.
In the Old Spice campaign, front man Isaiah Mustafa communicates to the audience by
addressing the women watching the commercial that their men can be “more manly” (Fowler,
2011) like him through the use of the Old Spice body wash product. In these commercials,
Mustafa is shirtless and uses his physique to allure women into the advertisement with examples
of stereotypical female fantasies like tickets to a show, diamonds or even a custom-made kitchen.
The campaign uses comical undertones to mask the stereotyping of the target audience, and
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although this is a clever tactic, it does not instill the principle of integrity that the brand values.
Stereotypes even in the most humorous sense can be offensive to the audience, and the women
being targeted may change their opinion of the brand and their promotional efforts as sexist and
demeaning to women.
Another issue that the Old Spice brand faced during the Man Your Man Could Smell Like
campaign was the approach used to target a younger, male demographic. In choosing which
media vehicles to use for their print advertisements, Old Spice decided to pursue magazines in
the technology and gaming industry, as a majority of their readership were men, such as students
and young professionals. The campaign advertised in Game Informer, which is an America video
game magazine that features articles, news and information on current and upcoming game
releases. This niche market helped Old Spice focus on their goal of attracting a younger male
demographic, however the advertisements used unfavourably promoted the brand. The body
content of the print advertisement read that an Old Spice product is “what Father Nature uses
when Mother Nature is out of town at another one of her conferences,” (Trott, 2010). The
message being communicated in this advertisement promotes cheating on a spouse and even
adultery. It is evident that the Old Spice ad promotes adultery as an acceptable practice, only if a
consumer uses the product to clean afterwards. Even though Old Spice uses fictional characters
and humorous tones to appeal the audience, the implied meaning in the message does not
demonstrate the leadership ideal the company wishes to demonstrate.
Old Spice is a prominent brand and continues to compete as a leader in the consumer hygiene
product market. The effective use of social media and humorous advertising appeals have helped
to re-invent the dated brand name into the new, attractive and sexy Old Spice brand. However,
Old Spice needs to consider how far their comical use of stereotypes and sexual imagery will go
before their target audience becomes offended from their promotional strategies.
Recommendations
Has Old Spice done enough to promote its brand and engage its audiences?
The original Old Spice brand was outdated for the target audience that the brand was trying to
reach. Old Spice was able to revamp the brand and tailor its messages to attract the attention and
engagement of a younger, more relevant market segment to the repositioning strategy.
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In the Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign, Old Spice was able to expand their
promotional strategy through the use of social media to target their intended audiences. Old
Spice was able to turn an old, stale brand into one that demanded attention in the market from
both the direct consumers of the products (i.e. men) as well as household purchasers (i.e.
women). The use of Twitter and YouTube allowed the brand to connect with their audience in a
very personal way, as Isaiah Mustafa would answer questions and requests from users, bloggers
and even celebrities. The hype and buzz generated from these responses helped reposition the
brand to compete in a market where competition was heavy, and competitors employed a number
of tactics to engage with the same audience.
With the help of a creative team from Weiden + Kennedy, Old Spice was able to increase the
awareness of their re-introduced brand while targeting their audience with humorous messages
and catchy taglines. Through the use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube, Old Spice was also able to adapt their promotional strategy to connect with their target
audience, in a market dominated by social media and overall user experience.
What else could/should Old Spice do to deal with its communications, or reputation challenges,
in an active and helpful way?
The Old Spice brand has encountered some unethical situations involving their Man Your Man
Could Smell Like campaign with the sexual imagery and misleading information portrayed in
their advertisements. The campaign promotes their shirtless front man, Isaiah Mustafa, with
sexual undertones in order to grab the attention of the female audience. Although the sexual
appeal in advertisements are an effective way of attracting attention and interest in a market
segment, companies need to consider how these message appeals will represent the integrity of
the brand.
In the case of Old Spice, the use of Isaiah Mustafa was a great tactic to generate interest in the
secondary target audience (i.e. women) but was irrelevant in generating the same interest in the
brand’s primary male target audience. Mustafa addressed the female audience directly in the
commercials and communicated that men who used Old Spice products would be manlier, just
like the Old Spice Guy. Although this claim was intended to generate humour, it was still
misleading to consumers.
To help re-establish the brand’s credibility and integrity, Old Spice could create a segment of
commercials and promotional material that still utilizes the funny and clever ideas without the
use of sexual appeals. Many firms have been successful in generating brand awareness with a
humorous appeal yet avoid sexual imagery and notions.
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For example, in 2011 Pepsi launched a new product, Pepsi Max, and the campaign created a
number of advertisements that were centered on three young men and their experiences in the
American every-day life. One particular ad, the Pepsi Max Job Interview, used humour and the
interview process to help illustrate the camaraderie between the characters in the commercial.
Although extravagant in its illustration, the Pepsi Max commercial implemented the use of
humour appeals to target a middle-aged audience without the use of sexual images.
What would you do if you were the Public Relations Director of Old Spice?
As the Public Relations Director of Old Spice, I would consider the use of F-Commerce as an
expansion for the distribution of Old Spice products, as well as consider partnering or sponsoring
a Major League Gaming event.
Facebook stores, or F-Commerce, are a new and upcoming option for many brands and small
business owners to expand their product offerings to reach segments of the market that utilize
social media in their day-to-day lives. One way that Facebook is helping brands overcome the
conflict of shopping at traditional retail stores is by employing a tactic that users can use to
browse gifts for their friends and contacts on social media. This gifting feature helps generate a
list of products or services that are relevant to the intended recipient from information available
on their profiles: brands that these users like or follow. For Old Spice, this gift strategy could
help users find the right product for their friends or family, faster and easier.
Facebook stores offer big brands, like Old Spice, the ability to adapt their communication goals
to a changing, social market. The use of F-Commerce can provide brands with a transparent
image to their target audience; brands can see their message impact the audience. As markets
begin to change, so do the expectations of the public and a company’s ability to engage the
public in an interactive manner. F-Commerce allows brands to become relevant to their audience
by providing probing questions and asking for honest opinions about the products or services
being offered.
To avoid a “user-generated storm of negative publicity” (Business Insider, 2013), Old Spice
maintained an active role in the participation and management of all earned media the brand
received during their Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign on social media platforms like
Facebook and Twitter.
Another consideration Old Spice should consider is partnering or sponsoring an event, such as
the Major League Gaming organization, which is a company that broadcasts professional level
gaming in an online environment. Selecting an organization such as the MLG would be a
strategic maneuver for Old Spice, considering that their primary target audience is
technologically savvy, young men. Old Spice has already advertised in many electronic and
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gaming magazines, most notably Game Informer, but activating a sponsorship with a nationwide gaming organization will increase brand awareness while targeting their niche market of
young men.
The partnership with the MLG can leverage the communication objectives of Old Spice by
helping to promote and share the newly repositioned brand. By revamping the outdated and stale
brand, Old Spice used Isaiah Mustafa as the fictional spokesperson in the hopes that his physical
and comedic image would transfer onto the brand. This use of this character and his charismatic
persona helped bring the Old Spice brand into an age of engagement and social media, which
were two key elements used to distribute the message of the brand to their intended audiences.
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References
A., Elizabeth. (2012). How Old Spice Got a New Image. Instant ly by uSamp. Retrieved from
http://www.instant.ly/blog/2012/07/how-old-spice-got-a-new-image/
Bartello, Molly. (2011). Is it that time already. Mollybartello’s Blog. Retrieved from
http://mollybartello.wordpress.com
Big Fuel Staff. (2011). Social media: Paid media or earned media. Big Fuel Communications
LLC. Retrieved from http://c2c.bigfuel.com/fuel/social-media-paid-media-or-earned-media
Business Insider. (2013). Earned media and social media: How brands can get beyond the hype.
Business Insider, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/earned-mediasocial-media-beyond-hype-2013-7
Darwell, Brittany. (2012). Has Facebook cracked f-commerce. Inside Facebook: Mediabistro
Inc. Retrieved from http://www.insidefacebook.com/2012/09/28/has-facebook-cracked-fcommerce/
Ehrlich, B. (2011). Lessons Learned from the Old Spice Campaign & its Imitators. Mashable.
Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/03/16/old-spice-imitators/
Fowler, Charity. (2011). Commodity Fetishism and Images of Masculinity: A Comparison of Old
Spice and Dr Pepper Ten Ad Campaigns. Fandom in the Academy. Retrieved from
http://www.charityfowler.com/writing/matx-projects/old-spice-vs-dr-pepper-ten-ads/
Mackay, Chanel. (2013). Art of blending paid, earned and owned media. The Media Online.
Retrieved from http://themediaonline.co.za/2013/07/art-of-blending-paid-earned-andowned-media/
Major League Gaming. (2013). About Major League Gaming (MLG). Major League Gaming,
Inc. Retrieved from http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/mlg/about
Miller, Miranda. (2012). Is f-commerce a flop: Why retainers aren’t sold on Facebook. Incisive
Interactive Marketing LLC. Retrieved from
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2172155/Is-F-commerce-a-Flop-Why-RetailersArent-Sold-on-Facebook
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Osthuizen, Thomas. (2011). What does the, by now iconic, Old Spice advertising and social
media campaign tell us about branding. Dr. Thomas’s Blog. Retrieved from http://brandblog.drthomasbrand.co.za/2011/07/what-does-the-by-now-iconic-old-spice-advertisingand-social-media-campaign-tell-us-about-branding/
Procter & Gamble. (2013). Our Foundation. Procter & Gamble Services, Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.pg.com/en_US/company/purpose_people/pvp.shtml
Trott, Robert. (2010). Old Spice is a little unethical. Rtrott2’s Blog. Retrieved from
http://rtrott2.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/old-spice-is-a-little-unethical/#comments
Turner, K. (2010). Too Soon to Pronounce Judgement on Old Spice Campaign. Turner–Riggs
Blogspace. Retrieved from http://www.turnerriggs.com/blog/comments/too_soon_to_pronounce_judgement_on_old_spice_campaign/
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