Old Spice has become an internet and advertising darling over the last 9 months and they are buzzing again with the new Old Spice NFL campaign featuring Ray Lewis. The brand had become irrelevant until the Old Spice Man campaign launched during last year's Super Bowl which was very well received. However, the brand catapulted to internet legend with the Old Spice Man Replies campaign which still holds the record for the most viral video views in a 24 hour period. President Obama's victory speech from Grant Park in Chicago is second, with over 1.2M views LESS than Old Spice Man Replies.
The latest installment in this campaign is the NFL version of Old Spice Man except this time it features Ray Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens. This is a classic reverse engineering opportunity to break down the brand, the tactics involved, the target audience, the primary distribution vehicle and a ton of available research to inform the process. Consider the following questions:
How has Old Spice adopted the "publisher" mentality in creating engagement opportunities for fans of the brand?
Why Ray Lewis?
The Ray Lewis brand has risen dramatically since his legal problems in 2000. Can you think of anyone else who has emerged from a murder trial to national brand spokesperson in such a short time?
Who is the target here? Be careful, its not as obvious as you might think.
Engagement is optimal when brands actually become the conversation. Some great examples here and here.
Interested to hear your thoughts. Enjoy...
I think it was a great PR pitch to have Ray Lewis endorse Old Spice. The fact that they used a NFL player that wasn't a running/quarterback speaks to the fact that all professional athletes are marketable. They looked past previous 'image altering' incidents in Lewis' career and took a risk, which is what sports is about. Besides this campaign is a lot more entertaining than the semi-provocative advertisements of Axe. Old Spice thoroughly caters to the NFL fan, men, and most importantly the purchaser of the household-the woman!
ReplyDeleteRegardless of where I am or what I'm doing, this ad always grabs my attention. Love that OldSpice is combating its competitors (Axe, RightGuard) by using the ultimate tough guy. Ray Lewis makes all men want to wear OldSpice because it's what "real football players use."
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