Old Spice guy hijacks the adverts of fellow P&G brands in “powerful” new viral campaign

Old Spice front man, Terry Crews, crashes the adverts of Charmin and Bounce, exclaiming "Old Spice Body Spray is too powerful to stay in its own commercial!” The series of in-your-face adverts has driven a surge of positive online discussion and demonstrated an original way for multi-brand companies to get dual exposure for their products.

Old Spice has recently undergone a series of changes to its brand image- only last year replacing much-loved Old Spice guy, Isaiah, with Fabio, and now calling on former American football player, Terry Crews, to be the face of the brand. In the latest campaign, Crews is seen crashing through the walls of adverts for Procter & Gamble sister brands, Charmin and Bounce, telling viewers “Old Spice Body Spray makes you smell like power...It’s so powerful it sells itself in other people’s commercials”.

WaveMetrix social media monitoring can reveal that the campaign is driving high levels of positive online discussion, with consumers describing it as “pure gold”, “the best commercial ever” and even suggesting “they should make an Old Spice movie”. Viewers are prompted to discuss the product, saying they “love Old Spice” and “want to buy Old Spice now”. Some even express a desire to buy the other P&G products featured in the advert, saying “It makes me want to buy a Bounce Dryer Bar” and “kudos to Bounce and Old Spice!"

 The campaign drives a positive reaction, around both the marketing and the product:

• The majority of consumers discuss the advertising campaign: They find the advert “hilarious”, claiming “I cried powerful tears of laughter when i saw this”. Others describe the campaign as “clever”, saying “they know how to sell a product”.

• Some are also driven to discuss the Old Spice product: They say they “love” Old Spice and that they “want to buy Old Spice now”. Only a minority criticize the product, saying it “doesn’t smell good” and that they are annoyed they “don’t have Old Spice in Holland” and that they “don’t sell it in Denmark”

Consumers link Old Spice with “cool”, “expert” and “aspirational” brand values:

• Over half of consumers associate Old Spice with its “cool” brand value: They are enthusiastic about the “awesome” marketing and say they “love” Old Spice

• Many also associate Old Spice with expertise: This is driven by the “clever” advertising- some describing the campaign as “the greatest commercial ever”

• Consumers link Old Spice with aspirational qualities: Some say they “want to buy this stuff” after watching the commercial. Others say they “want to see more Old Spice commercials on YouTube” and plead “Bring Old Spice adverts to the UK”