The Old Spice campaign succeeded by identifying a new target audience (younger consumers and women who purchase for men), using bold creative strategies, and launching the campaign on social media for viral reach. The campaign included nearly 200 personalized video responses and resulted in a 125% sales increase, making Old Spice the top men's body wash brand. Source
Old Spice shifted its brand image by rebranding from an older demographic to a younger one, using humor and viral content, and directly addressing women (the primary purchasers) in its ads. This approach differentiated Old Spice from competitors and revitalized the brand. Source
Market research revealed that over half of body wash purchases were made by women, not men. This insight led Old Spice to target women in their campaign, which was a key factor in its success. Source
Old Spice launched its campaign on social media before the Super Bowl, creating nearly 200 personalized video responses to fans and celebrities. This strategy helped the campaign go viral, reaching over 20 million views in three days. Source
The campaign aimed for a 15% sales increase but achieved a 125% increase in just a few months, making Old Spice the top men's body wash brand. Source
Market research showed that women made the majority of body wash purchases. By targeting women, Old Spice was able to influence purchasing decisions and drive sales growth. Source
Old Spice took a unique approach by addressing women and using humor, while competitors focused on male-centric ads. This differentiation helped the campaign stand out and go viral. Source
The campaign used humor, direct address to women, viral video responses, and campy, memorable visuals to engage audiences and drive social sharing. Source
Timing was crucial for Old Spice, which launched its campaign before the Super Bowl and leveraged social media for maximum impact, beating competitors to viral attention. Source
Brands can learn to use market research, target the real decision-makers, differentiate creatively, and leverage social media for viral reach to achieve measurable results. Source
Humor, when used authentically and strategically, can help brands stand out, engage audiences, and encourage sharing, as demonstrated by the Old Spice campaign. Source
Responding to fans and celebrities with personalized content, as Old Spice did, increases engagement, builds loyalty, and amplifies campaign reach through social sharing. Source
Brands can use video content to tell stories, engage audiences, and respond to real-time feedback, as seen in Old Spice's 200+ personalized video responses that drove viral engagement. Source
Viral marketing can rapidly increase brand awareness, drive sales, and position a brand as a market leader, as demonstrated by Old Spice's campaign reaching 20 million views in three days. Source
Brands can stay relevant by monitoring market trends, adapting their messaging, and targeting new audiences, as Old Spice did by shifting focus to younger consumers and women. Source
Brands that fail to adapt risk losing relevance and market share, as seen with Old Spice before its rebranding. Adapting to new demographics can revitalize growth and brand perception. Source
Success can be measured through sales growth, brand awareness, engagement metrics, and campaign reach, as demonstrated by Old Spice's 125% sales increase and viral video views. Source
Creative storytelling helps brands connect emotionally with audiences, differentiate from competitors, and drive engagement, as seen in the Old Spice campaign's humorous narrative. Source
Engaging influencers and celebrities can amplify campaign reach and credibility, as Old Spice did by responding to celebrity questions with personalized videos. Source
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08.10.21
Many years ago, one of the currently most successful personal care brands, Old Spice, faced the problem of not appealing to a younger audience. Although back then the company was promoting its products to the older generations of consumers, after assessing emerging market trends, it decided to switch to a younger target audience. However, this was a difficult thing to do , because Old Spice had a reputation as a company that sold products to older people. That meant appealing to a younger target audience was going to take some rebranding, and the brand had to change its image. It did this successfully with a bold marketing campaign.
To save the brand of Old Spice, the company understood that it had to think big and create a marketing campaign that would grab attention. That’s why Old Spice decided to work with the same marketing professionals that came up with Nike’s own “Just Do It” slogan.
Throughout the market research phase before the campaign was launched, the Old Spice found out that over half of all body wash purchases were actually made by women – not men who were the target audience. This was a key fact which, when taken into account, made the entire campaign become so successful.
When the campaign was planned, the marketing professionals decided to go the opposite way of all the other market competitors. Instead of running ads that were male-centric, they decided to start a discussion between couples around the country around body wash, and managed to convince many women to stop buying their partners female-targeted products.
The entire effort resulted in a campaign that went viral all over the globe, titled “Mad Your Man Could Smell Like”. The ad starred the Old Spice guy addressing women instead of men, while making lighthearted fun about other men using products that are generally targeted at women. However, if they stopped using those types of products, the partners of those women could at least smell like the Old Spice Guy.
Throughout all of the jokes, the actor moved through numerous sets and attention-grabbing transitions, making the commercial incredibly campy. Finally, to drive the point home, he stated that anything would be possible if only men didn’t smell like ladies, and used Old Spice instead.
The ad was launched before the Super Bowl in 2010, right around the time that other personal care brands such as Dove were also debuting their own ads. However, the company made the smart decision of launching the entire ad campaign on social media instead of TV, which worked wonders for making the campaign go viral, as it was seen by over 20 million people in only three days.
However, the campaign didn’t stop there, as the marketers decided to create nearly 200 new videos responding to celebrities’ and fans’ questions on social media. The videos were scripted and uploaded to YouTube, which helped make the campaign one of the best ones of the decade. The goal of the campaign was to increase the company’s sales towards younger generations by 15%, but just a few months later, the sales had increased by 125%, which made the business become the top company for men’s body wash.
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