Old Spice Guy Campaign Worked Because Everything Else Sucks
The Old Spice Guy campaign raked in an Emmy for the firm behind the social phenomenon.
If you've been under a rock, don't watch TV and the social media is something you can catch on public transportation, the spots starred former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa as the Old Spice Guy, who solicited questions from fans on Twitter, Yahoo Answers and other websites. He then answered them in short, humorous YouTube (YouTube) videos, which were viewed a total of 135 million times.
There have been a slew of posts about the campaign and how it was genius, how it did wondrous things for the Old Spice brand, maybe even made the company some money, etc.
Basically, it was a big kiss-ass fest of Old Spice and the naked dude in the shower.
What people haven't talked about yet was WHY the campaign was really so successful.
The real reason? Well, simply put, all other recent social media campaigns have sucked. The space has turned content creators into copy and steal hoodlums. There is zero ingenuity. There are no brands really pushing the envelope.
What I do see are brands launching Facebook pages, starting Twitter accounts and hoping that their "viral" video gets viewed. News flash: you can't "make" a video go viral. Really, you can't so please stop trying.
So kudo's to Old Spice and their agency for doing a great job. If the marketers, PR types and "gurus" have learned anything, it's that balls to the wall creativity and guts are what will propel your campaign to viral status. And oh yea, the content has got to be delivered in real time (or just about) and funny as all hell.
Sounds easier than it is. Trust me.
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