Running Head: OLD SPICE MAKES A COMEBACK
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IMC 613 Week 3 Assignment
Jenna Beach
West Virginia University
March 31, 2014
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Background Overview: Old Spice
Old Spice’s rich and authentic history spans over 70 years as one of America’s iconic men’s
grooming brands. Old Spice was first introduced for women in 1937 followed by Old Spice for men in
1938. The Shulton Company, founded in 1934 by William Lightfoot Schultz, pictured below in Figure 1,
began manufacturing Old Spice products to provide grooming products to men of all ages (Procter &
Gamble, 2011b).
Figure 1
William Lightfoot Schultz: Founder of Old Spice
Pictured above is the Founder of Old Spice,
William Lightfoot Schultz (Procter & Gamble, 2011b).
In June 1990, Procter & Gamble, the world's largest consumer goods producer, purchased Old
Spice from the Shulton Company including the entire product line of fragrances, skin care, antiperspirant,
and deodorant (Procter & Gamble, 2011b). “The new owner overhauled the brand, changing its scent,
replacing its iconic clipper ship logo with a yacht, and targeting a younger demographic” (Bukszpan,
2012). Today, Old Spice “brings authenticity, performance and confidence to male grooming and offers a
wide product portfolio for today’s man, including anti-perspirants, deodorants, body washes, body sprays,
after shaves and colognes” (Procter & Gamble, 2011).
Brand Position
Old Spice’s brand position has undergone significant changes over the past few decades, most
notably in the last five years. “So ladies, does your man smell like an Old Spice man” is not a phrase that
would have heard a decade ago (Old Spice, 2010). However, with savvy marketing, Old Spice was able
to revive, modernize, and market its brand in 2010, creating a stronger brand position with a younger
demographic. Procter and Gamble teamed up with advertising agency, Wieden + Kennedy, to create a
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clever advertising and social media campaign that would “produce a fresh identity, even for a brand that
many associate with their grandfather’s deodorant” (Aquino, 2011). The new marketing concept involved
former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa, pictured below in Figure 2, who used his charming and witty
personality along with his chiseled physique to engage potential consumers, mainly women, to rediscover
the nearly ancient Old Spice brand. A major reason Old Spice selected Mustafa as the brand’s
spokesperson was to target and stimulate the purchasing behavior of women consumers.
Figure 2
Isaiah Mustafa: 2010 Old Spice Spokesperson
Pictured above is legendary spokesperson Isaiah Mustafa
who was known for the saying, “I’m on a horse” (D'Zurilla, 2010)
Jason Bagley, Creative Director for Wieden + Kennedy, shared in an interview that his creative
approach was fundamentally due to the fact that women purchase 75% of the body wash and Old Spice
could sell more products by targeting a new audience (CNN, 2010). Television commercials featuring
Mustafa became an instant viral sensation with its campaign “Smell Like a Man, Man” (Bukszpan, 2012).
According to Nielsen data, overall sales of Old Spice Body Wash rose to 106% in 2010 (O'Leary &
Wasserman, 2010). Table 1 below outlines the growth pattern of Old Spice products beginning February
2010 and ending July 2010.
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Table 1
2010 Old Spice Sales Increase
Old Spice Cleans Up:
February
July
%
Old Spice’s Body Wash sales have
2010
2010
Gain
jumped since the campaign’s
February launch
High Endurance
$2.3M
$4.6M
100%
Red Zone
$1.1M
$1.6M
49%
Liquid Body Wash
$129.9
$148.6
14.4%
Dry Skin Defense Body Wash
$8.2
$164.5
1900%
Odor Blocker Body Wash
$35.8
$649.6
1,715%
Overall
$3,503
$7,312
106%
Original Source: Symphony IRI. The figures refer to the four-week period
ended 2/21 and 7/21 respectively. (O'Leary & Wasserman, 2010)
Later in July 2010, Old Spice released a sequel to the “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign to
further build buzz, inviting consumers to submit questions via Twitter and Facebook to be answered
personally by Mustafa. According to Procter and Gamble, more than 2,000 people submitted questions in
a 48-hour period “setting new benchmarks for consumer engagement and sparking another viral hit”
(Procter & Gamble, n.d.a). This campaign involved working with Wieden + Kennedy to develop and
coordinate 186 customized video responses to celebrities and other social media influencers, including
Perez Hilton, Ellen DeGeneres, and Alyssa Milano, who asked Mustafa questions via Twitter, Facebook
and other social media sites” (Aquino. 2011; Bruno, 2010).
The video response campaign was a monumental success for Old Spice. The campaign sequel
resulted in “1.2 billion earned media impressions, including features on national broadcast networks and
international media outlets” (Procter & Gamble, n.d.a). Not only did the Old Spice YouTube channel
more than double its number of subscribers to 150,000, the number of Old Spice Facebook fans also
increased from 500,000 to 800,000, a 60% growth; and its Twitter following also “exploded 2700% to
over 83,000 followers.” (Bruell, 2010; Chaloner, 2011). Lastly, the heightened brand awareness
ultimately increased traffic to Old Spice’s website by 300% (Procter & Gamble, n.d.a).
In 1970, 1971, and 1972, Old Spice utilized a different branding approach with its advertising.
The brand positioned itself as a men’s product that would enable men to become themselves and find
success while women found their scent irresistible (Commercial News and Fun, 2011). Unlike the 2010
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campaign, the brand message in the 1970s did not directly target women. Rather, Old Spice applied
persuasion techniques to target men, conveying the message that men should use Old Spice because “girls
like it” (Side Show Carny, 2006). In the 1970s, Old Spice products were positioned for fathers and
grandfathers, versus the 2010 campaigns that were branded for women to purchase for their significant
others.
The slogan used in a 1970s commercial, “The Mark of a Man” is similar to the 2010 slogan,
“Smell Like a Man, Man.” Both branding campaigns focused on the masculine activities that define the
characteristics of a man – rugged and manly – which indicated that the ultimate “man” used Old Spice
products. Old Spice combined 1970s masculinity with humor in its innovative approach in 2010 to
capture the attention of men and women. The benefits of Old Spice products as indicated in commercials
from the 1970s centered around the concept that men wanted to be a man and smell like one too.
However, in Old Spice’s 2010 and subsequent advertisements, the approach to the product benefits
shifted – ladies want their man to “smell like a man.”
The 1980s was an era of wholesomeness and was portrayed as extremely family oriented. During
that time, Old Spice positioned itself as a brand that was not for every man, rather it was intended for
family men with wives and children (Kaseyi, 2013). In 2010, this type of branding approach would not
have been received well or been as successful as indicated in its rebranding strategy. Applying Old Spice
products was a part of a man’s daily routine in the 70s and the 80s. However, in 2010 and subsequent
years that would follow, branding of Old Spice began focusing on the experience of the Old Spice
product. Wieden + Kennedy’s repackaging of Old Spice was “for the modern young man who might
remember Dad's cologne and appreciates a satirical take on that ancient history” (Parpis, 2010).
Today, Old Spice has continued marketing to a younger demographic of men who are entering
adulthood and becoming a “man.” In recent commercials, mothers of young men are not ready for their
teenage boys to grow up and begin doing manly things such as dating and moving on as young men. Old
Spice has begun to brand itself as a product that will make boys “grown up” men, hence the slogan
“Smellcome to Manhood” (Old Spice, 2014). Moreover, “Old Spice continues to sail the high seas of
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masculinity—bringing a boatload of experience to helping guys navigate the seas of manhood (Procter &
Gamble, n.d.b).
Brand Elements
The Old Spice brand is widely recognized in today’s society. While some brand elements have
remained true, many improvements have been made to the brand’s elements that have allowed for more
edgy, contemporary, and competitive products. “Brand elements, sometimes called brand identities, are
those trademarkable devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand” (Keller, 2013a). In order to
change consumer perceptions that Old Spice products are for older fathers and grandfathers, the brand had
to make considerable changes to provide a positive contribution to the brand equity to elicit certain valued
associations responses” (Keller, 2013a). The changes in brand elements have positioned Old Spice as a
continued leader of male grooming essentials.
Logos and Symbols
Over the course of the years, the Old Spice logo has undergone many variations. As Keller
stated, “logos can be adapted slowly over a period of time to achieve a more contemporary look” (2013, p
128). When Old Spice was first introduced, Schultz was interested in preserving a colonial framework for
the original products and chose a nautical theme (Procter & Gamble, 2011b). “Thus, sailing ships, in
particular colonial sailing ships, were used as a trademark. Through continuous use and advertising, the
various ships have become a valuable trademark identifying the Old Spice product for men” (Procter &
Gamble, 2011b). During the 1970s and 1980s, the Grand Turk was the original clipper ship symbol on
used on all mugs, bottles, and packaging until the early 1990s and is pictured below in Figure 3 (Old
Spice ships, 2012).
Since its inception, Old Spice has used the words ‘Old Spice’ in its logo while incorporating the
traditional scripted red font which is pictured below in Figure 4. Old Spice continued using the Grand
Turk and the scripted font but the position of the clipper varied from top to bottom. By the mid-1990s,
“the old clipper ships were replaced by contemporary racing yachts” ("Old Spice packaging," 2012). A
sample of this symbol is below in Figure 5. Also, in the 1990s, a less scripted, cursive-like font replaced
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the traditional font and is pictured below in Figure 6. Old Spice reverted back to its Grand Turk clipper
ship and traditional scripted font which is slightly less curly now, and is utilized in all current branding.
The Old Spice logo as it is used today is pictured below in Figure 7.
Figure 3
Grand Turk in the 1970s
Figure 4
Old Spice Traditional Font
(Traditional Bottles, 2012)
Figure 5
Grand Turk in the 1980s
Figure 6
Old Spice Font in the 1990s
(Traditional Bottles. 2012)
(Brand Profiles, n.d.)
Figure 7
Current Old Spice Logo
(Procter & Gamble, 2013)
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Brand Name
The Old Spice brand name has always remained the same since it was first introduced in the 1930s.
According to Keller, a brand’s name “captures the central theme or key associations of a product in a very
compact and economical fashion” (2013, p 119). In today’s society, brand names are how individuals
refer to their favorite products and should be one that is can be recognized, recalled and is easy to
pronounce. The Old Spice brand has been around for centuries, but in recent years has become more of a
household brand that teens and young men use to attract ladies and smell manly, just like their fathers and
grandfathers have always done in the past.
Packaging
The packaging of Old Spice products has changed many times from 1971 until the current date.
According to Keller, “the package can become an important means of brand recognition and convey or
imply information to build or reinforce valuable brand associations” (2013, p 137). Old Spice revamped
the look of its cologne box, removing the stars that had previously adorned boxes and made the word
‘Cologne’ more prominent with the addition of ‘For Men’ directly underneath. At this time, “there were
no changes to the After Shave or Talcum boxes” ("Old Spice packaging," 2012). Old Spice continued
production of this packaging until 1980. In 1981, Old Spice made some adjustments to its packaging
including two double stripes above and below the logo. ‘Cologne’ became ‘Long Lasting Cologne’ and
‘After Shave Lotion’ simply became ‘After Shave’ ("Old Spice packaging," 2012). By the mid-90s, the
packaging took a modern direction, replacing the old clipper ships with contemporary racing yachts ("Old
Spice packaging," 2012).
The brand has preserved its cultural icon by incorporating its heritage and offering consumers the
Classic Scent Cologne and After Shave that remain packaged in the original buoy design with the
traditional red cap. The Old Spice cologne is now offered as a spray bottle that also comes packaged in
the same buoy design with a few minor adjustments in its logo to differentiate the spray. Today, Old
Spice has extended its brand to include deodorant, body wash, body spray, bar soap, hair care and styling
products, trimmers and shavers, shave gel and fragrances. The packaging of the new products has
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developed into a more modern and sleek appearance, and has continued to utilize the traditional red
theme. The color red, in addition to the various patterns and graphics helps identify the brand, convey
descriptive and persuasive information as well as aid in product consumption (Keller, 2013c) Not only
does Old Spice claim its products will make young men look and smell good, but the brand also has
aesthetically pleasing packaging which helps sell products. Figure 8 below is a comparison of Old Spice’s
packaging as it evolved over the years.
Figure 8
Comparison of Old Spice Products
Brand Criteria
According to Keller, there are six general criteria for brand elements including memorability,
meaningfulness, likability, transferability, adaptability, and protectability (Keller, 2013a).
Memorability
Living in today’s world, it is highly unlikely that no one has not heard of the Old Spice brand.
Having the ability to be memorable is a necessary condition for building brand equity to achieve a high
level of brand awareness (Keller, 2013a). The Old Spice is definitely one of those unforgotten brands that
most everyone can recall, thanks to its hilarious and witty commercials. Old Spice could potentially be
more memorable and have a higher recall if consumers had grandfathers or wiser, older men in their life
who used the products in earlier times. Despite variations in its logo, the Old Spice logo has remained
somewhat consistent which helps in the ability to recognize and recall the brand.
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Meaningfulness
The Old Spice brand has been successful in positioning itself as a product designed specifically
for men. Old Spice clearly describes who its intended audience is on its packaging with the words “For
Men.” Therefore, there is no mistake that this product is just for men. Through its commercials, social
media, and print advertisements, Old Spice has persuaded men and women that the entire product line
will make men smell like a man, particularly a masculine and desirable man, man.
Likability
As evident in the success of its rebranding campaign, many people like the Old Spice brand,
finding it a fun, humorous, and edgy brand. The consumers like the Old Spice brand, especially when
new products are constantly being developed and are useful in their daily grooming routines.
Transferability
Young men all over America, no matter the demographic area, are able to utilize Old Spice
products. The products offered by Old Spice allow something for every man whether it be deodorant,
aftershave, cologne or even trimmers. At this time, Old Spice has not transferred to multiple global
geographical areas. According to its website, Old Spice products are currently only available in America
and Canada.
Adaptability
Rather than marketing its brand name and products to older men, Old Spice recognized the need
to adapt to a new target demographic. The brand has recognized that it should not only focus on selling
its products to men, it should also focus on the women consumer as they are the primary purchasers of
body wash.
Protectability
The Old Spice brand has a very distinct logo, symbol, name, and tagline – making it nearly
impossible for another brand or individual to duplicate its iconic brand. There have been many
competitors that have entered the marketplace and have attempted to replicate Old Spice’s brand, but
none have been able to stand the test of time like Old Spice.
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References
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Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/10-most-successful-rebranding-campaigns-20112?op=1
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OLD SPICE MAKES A COMEBACK
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