They were the two days that shook the viral marketing world: Back in July, Old Spice, a decidedly old-school Procter & Gamble brand, unleashed a social media blitz so profoundly brilliant that it not only changed the rules of social network marketing, it may have written them for the first time.
Chances are, you're one of the millions who watched at least one of the YouTube videos by Isaiah Mustafa, the shirtless baritone who plays the very manly Old Spice Man in TV commercials. You probably also dismissed the Old Spice phenomenon as an oddity of riches--something only a marketing behemoth like P&G could exploit. But dissect the campaign's principles and practices, and you'll find it's not only entirely applicable to the small-business owner, but an essential (and low-cost) opportunity as well. Let's take a look inside.
Create a strong persona
You need a character who captures your brand positioning and inspires people to interact. The Old Spice Man appeals to women (hey, most men don't wear a scent to please other men) but uses insult humor that appeals to men. You can go for a humorous persona, but make sure you can sustain it. Otherwise, hire a comic to play the role. People will think it's you, only funnier. And remember: Humor may not be the best option for your business. Your character might provide service, empathy, advocacy or be full-on-raving crazy. Only you know what's right.
Seed social networks
Ask people to play along through Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. A gym might invite people enter a Biggest Loser-type weight-loss contest and let others cheer them on.
A wine shop might take questions on matching food with wine and let noteworthy chefs provide answers and recipes.
Engage the influencers
Try to involve anyone with a following--celebrities, a local newscaster, bloggers. Every blogger or celebrity who got a response from the Old Spice Man wrote about it. It was a badge of honor.
Personalize the response
Make the exchange personal and everyone will want a shout-out. That is at the core of the Old Spice phenomenon. People started competing to have witty or provocative questions, so that the Old Spice Man would respond to them. Thousands did not get a reply (180 of them did, in near real-time). And the ones who didn't kept trying harder to impress the Man.
Keep the videos simple and short
The Old Spice Man never left the bathroom, never looked anywhere but right at the camera, never even changed his posture. There is power in familiarity. He also never put on his shirt, but that's another column.
This article was originally published in the September 2010 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Five Lessons from the Old Spice Man.
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Comments:
Another advantage to incense is that it provides a much quicker effect than other air freshening methods, primarily because it is burnt, and smoke, by it's nature, tend to linger in the air much longer than a liquid air freshener. You needn't be concerned about your health being affected by the smoke, it's no more dangerous that barbecuing.
I really liked how Old Spice Man was pushed through most of the online marketing and social media channels, especially when re responded to comments on You Tube about his commercial and answered questions. I would have loved (beware I'm biased. www.momares.com) if the commercials would have ended with "Ladies want to know the secrets of my man sent? Text OLDSPICEMAN to 65047 to learn." This way the brand would connect not only socially but in the very personal mobile space.
Oliver, I was referring to the YouTube replies. You're right that this all followed a high production Super Bowl commercial, but when it went online and viral, the Old Spice Man never changed his pose or left the bathroom set.
The short and simple is a bit off... the "old spice" man did leave the bathroom. He was on a ship and ended by saying "I'm on a horse" while on a horse on the beach.
I agree this was a great concept. Old Spice was such a dated product and this campaign catapulted them into the mind of today's consumer. Kevin Ross http://www.blogwallet.com