Old Spice, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"
February 7, 2010
Promising women he was “the man you could smell like,” ex-American football star Isaiah Mustafa was drafted into Old Spice advertising in 2006. The first commercial, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” was an overnight sensation, quickly generating significant word-of-mouth buzz both online and off-line.
The towel-clad hunk fronted what is hailed as the one of the most popular viral campaigns of all time. The “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign helped convince mainstream advertisers to push the boundaries of advertising to connect with a younger generation of consumers. The brand first introduced its body wash for men in 2003. As the category grew, so did the competition, causing Old Spice to lose ground in that market.
With its 70-year brand heritage, Old Spice began marketing itself as a brand with “experience” and that was well positioned to be an expert on masculinity and being a man. This allowed the brand to appeal to their core target, guys, and also to a female audience for the first time. By the end of 2010, Old spice was the leading bodywash brand with sales up 125% thanks to the “Old Spice Guy.”