Transforming Old Spice

In the 70s and 80s men smelt different. For a wealthy elite it was Sandalwood,  for a few others Pears soap, then for the rest of us it was either very cheap aftershave or BO. The aftershaves in ascending order, were Cossack, Brute (“the best a man can get” –not) and then Old Spice. For a boy in Shropshire, the advertising for Old Spice was wonderfully aspirational: surfing, masculine with a beautiful Bardot type admiring from the surf, underscored by the outrageously over the top Carmina Burana. Who didn’t want a bit of that? Trouble was 20 years later that was still the image. Except now it was an awful lot less aspirational. Cheap, naff and in truth a joke. 

Then in 2010, Old Spice underwent a rebrand. This transformation was spearheaded by the launch of the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign. In effect, it was a pastiche of the original advertising, with actor Isaiah Mustafa delivering hilarious over-the-top monologues directly to the camera, addressing both men and women. Have a look at the staggering difference here https://youtu.be/STNf3hNapcI

The ads went viral, amassing millions of views on YouTube and a massive  buzz on social media. Catchphrases  like, "Look at your man, now back at me, now back at your man, now back at me" turned what was once a tacky out of date brand, culturally relevant and talked-about.

It’s success was reflected in the company's sales figures, seeing a 125% increase in sales in the month following the launch of the campaign!  The rebrand not only transformed the brand's image but was also a wonderful demonstration of the power of comedy in marketing. 

Old Spice broke through the advertising noise. The smell is identical I should add, but the image today is very very different. Can you think of any other brands that have turned themselves round with humour?