Old Spice Tries to Reach Young Guys

The purpose of advertising is to create awareness about a brand -- sure it's suppose to sell things too -- but getting the name out there is a primary concern. That's why advertisements don't typically have long educational messages or persuasive speeches, but usually cut to the chase and hope that their clever little line and/or visual will make you remember them.

Each week I get Sports Illustrated and this week I noticed the full page advertisement for Old Spice on the back cover. It is a photo of Faye Dunaway (circa 1968) showing her lounging on a couch and looking very attractive. I didn't like the line that went with it, however, which was "If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist" ("it" would be Old Spice, of course). According to the New York Times, this ad is part of an aggressive campaign developed by agency Wieden & Kennedy, which is best known for the "Just Do It" campaign for Nike. Old Spice is investing $100 million in its efforts this year alone.

I found this ad irritating. After all, it is kind of disconcerting thinking about the process that they are implying as it relates to my grandparents. I think you know what I mean. But more importantly, I almost get the impression that they think I owe them something. "Hey, buddy, since you wouldn't exist without us, you need to guarantee our existence." I don't do very well with guilt trips and it really speaks of desperation to me.

My initial response was to write a blog entry, but as you can see I also did some research and found that this is part of a much larger campaign. One of the ads (see the photo above) actually made me blush at the sight of an ice cream cone! This ad isn't my style either. So for me, this ad campaign is coming up short.

However, this campaign wasn't for me, it is clearly an appeal to younger men and not those in their 40s who are very committed to the products they use (I like rubbing alcohol after I shave). They are going to a group that could be more easily motivated by such ads. A younger generation. Furthermore, the ad did catch my attention enough to do a little research and I actually spent multiples more in time than the company who developed the campaign believed I would. My Google search on the campaign indicates that I'm not the only one, there is a great deal of "ink" devoted to this story, resulting in millions of dollars in brand awareness. As I pointed out at the beginning, that is one of the primary reasons companies do ad campaigns. This blog entry is just one more example of free exposure that the brand received, even if it wasn't completely favorable.