Companies use advertisements to inform and/or persuade
consumers into purchasing their product. There are hundreds of ways to
advertise a product. Advertisements can be as small as social media sponsored
ad posts to Super Bowl Sunday television commercials. In 2010, Weiden + Kennedy advertisement agency
created an ad that shocked the marketing world and changed Old Spice
advertisements forever. Old Spice appeals to a very diverse group of people by
marketing their products in multiple ways by engaging and appealing a different
target audience with each “Old Spice man” and through their individuality, and time
management. This sets Old Spice apart from other advertising companies.

If you look at figure 1.1 (above on the left) this advertisement
campaign “Smell like a man, man” was first launched prior to the Super Bowl in
February, 2010. This is when Old Spice developed their new advertisement strategies
and brand characters which later received the industry’s highest honor, the
Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix, where the judges noted it “overnight wove its way
into popular culture” and was nominated for an Emmy. One of their newest brand
characters, Isaiah Mustafa is a handsome, former NFL wide receiver who
possesses a comedic sense of humor. In today’s society, most advertisements are
about how that product they are selling can improve yourself in one way or
another. This still picture of the video advertisement is an example of just
that. They put a very handsome and muscular in the ad to draw attention and for
that person to be the “incentive” on “what they can look like if they use this
product.” The picture also is taking place on a sunny day at the beach, making
the picture look very appealing and relaxing to you. Finally, the center of the
photo is the product- Old Spice deodorant. This video starts out with Isaiah shirtless
and in the shower. Isaiah then begins with “Hello ladies, look at your man, now
back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” In the first 5 seconds of
the video, it has already established their target audience- women. Old Spice
uses a sexual appeal by using an attractive man with a nice muscular body
because that is what most women find appealing. Now that they have their
consumer hooked, Isaiah says “Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using
lady-scented body wash and switched to Old Spice he could smell like he was
me.” This is persuading the consumers to
buy their product because if “their man” uses Old Spice, then they will smell
more attractive, ultimately giving the impression that they will become more
attractive.
Weiden and Kennedy then began to get creative. As the
video continues as Isaiah says “Look down, back you. Where are you? You’re on a
boat with a man that your man can small like.” Not only are they reiterating
that your man can smell like him, but they grasps your attention because very
bizarre and un-natural things are going on. They set themselves apart from
others by thinking outside the box and being different. The video ends by the
camera panning up and Isaiah riding a horse on the beach. He says, “Anything is
possible if your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady- I’m on a horse.”
They ended the advertisement this way because it opens the minds of the
consumer and makes that advertisement stick with them.
This advertisement also was very successful because they
added onto their first ad with a sequel, which launched in early June. To
further build excitement and buzz to the Old Spice campaign, they started to
invite regular people to submit questions that will be answered personally by
the “Old Spice Guy.” This was very successful because it further engaged the
audience in a way that they felt important. More than 2,000 people submitted questions in
the first 48-hour period. The responses for the questions were viewed over 46
million times in the first 24 hours. Because of their “Small like a man, man”
campaign launched, they have taken the social media side of it and used it to
their advantage. Also, all Old Spice videos are under one minute. “It’s
generally a good idea to keep things short on YouTube,” says Jason Bagley,
creative director at Wieden + Kennedy. “People don’t generally want to sit
through long things.” Old Spice has
nearly 105 million views of their campaign and has become the #1 most viewed
sponsored YouTube channel.

In the Old Spice advertisements, they take advantage of
people’s low confidence levels. They use Terry Crews – famous actor and football
player- as the symbol of power. They’re using more of a powerful and muscular
man for these ads. This again, appeals to a certain target audience- men. But
more specifically, men who want to be more confidant and powerful. As seen
above, Old Spice really thinks out of the box when it comes to their advertisement
ideas. In figure 1.2, Terry’s head is opened up with its brain flying out- not
very likely to actually happen, but is still very engaging. Also, Terry Crews
is a very big and build man, which makes the viewer a little self-conscious
about what they look like, opening up the doors to the idea of buying the
product so you look like “that.” In the video, Terry Crews starts out shirtless
in the bathroom saying, “Old Spice body spray will make you feel so powerful,
it will blow your mind right in front of your face!” From the start. He gives
you a clear and simple message of the product that is easy to remember. Then
Terry’s head opens up and out comes his brain on jets. His brain then says, “Goodbye,”
and explodes. This is very out of the ordinary, making it catch someone’s eye
and stand out. Then the video ends with Terry stumbling on his words (he has no
brain remember?) and in subtitles on the bottom of the advertisement it says, “What
a powerful mistake I’ve made.” Then they close off in to their slogan, “Smell
is Power.” This video advertisement is goofy, silly, and just plain odd- but
that’s what works for Terry Crews and their target audience. By bringing out a
child-like silliness to their advertisements, they can reach a larger range of
people.
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