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Old Spice: Smell Like A Man, Man

Portland

How we turned an insight about body wash into a cultural sensation, and the most popular interactive campaign in history.

Launched online Super Bowl weekend and on television shortly thereafter, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” quickly became a phenomenon, with buzz fueled by a media buy that targeted environments where couples would be watching together.

On the heels of this overwhelming success, an encore performance was a no-brainer. This time around we wanted something that was more interactive and engaging, which is how the “Response” campaign was born.

In two-and-a-half days, a Wieden+Kennedy team of creatives, digital strategists, developers and producers filmed 186 video responses to fans and celebrities, based on questions culled from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and more. These real-time messages were then posted on YouTube, sparking a sensation that would become the fastest growing and most popular interactive campaign in history.

Most importantly, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" had a dramatic impact on the bottom line. The goal was to increase body wash sales by 15%, but by May 2010, sales of Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash had increased 60% from the previous year. By July 2010, sales had doubled.

Advertising Age would later name it one of the top campaigns of the 21st century.

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