Swan dives & diamonds: My take on the Old Spice campaign

(Originally written for and published on the Headstream Blog…)

Yes, it’s a great concept, yes, the simplicity is genius, and yes, it demonstrates sound channel selection and a smart approach to engaging with celebrities, influencers and the likes of you and me in equal measures. Loads of ticks in loads of boxes, but if I had to hang my hat on one factor that contributed above all to making the Old Spice campaign a roaring success, it would be the creation and construction of a character that on the whole:

Appeals to everyone
Alienates no-one

Sounds obvious doesn’t it? Plenty haven’t received such a positive reaction. The Frosties singing kid… The Go Compare opera singer… Anyone who’s ever appeared in a Halifax advert?

Aside from causing men to spontaneously drop down into the press up position and want to make wine racks out of oak, the ‘Old Spice Guy’ has the same affect on both men and women. It’s too obvious to say that he’s envied by men and adored by women etc, etc. When in fact, the key to his popularity is that both men and women simply ‘get’ the over the top humour, self mockery and ‘I know someone exactly like this’ bravado. What’s more, the tone, style and delivery humanises the brand without taking itself too seriously, and it goes without saying that showing a humorous attitude towards your own brand is likely to breed appreciation and create advocacy.

Ok, so the construction of this particular character is genius, but let’s strip away the humour for a second…

[Old Spice turns to social media as a channel to market]
It realises that Old Spice wasn’t built to be social. It wasn’t created to converse.
Yet, it’s recognised that the future success of the brand is dependent on how quickly it can evolve to meet the desire of a connected people to engage with it.
Acknowledges that people would rather engage with people (in social spaces) than brands.
Queue funny, entertaining, and accessible human.
[Overwhelming success]

It makes sense really. It also suggests that the use of human brand characters is the most effective method we currently have to close the gap between a static juggernaut of a brand and the lightning pace of the social web.

What’s impressive about this particular example is that it created genuine engagement without abandoning what the brand stands for. They haven’t had to reinvent their sturdy positioning, and at no point have they shoved the brand into viewers’ throats. Perfect.

I’m on a horse.