Campaigns · Global · 2010
Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
A one-take TV spot turned a grandfather’s brand into a pop-culture event, then answered fans in 186 personalised videos over two days.
By Maer Media editorial teamPublished 4 October 20263 min readWieden+Kennedy, PortlandCampaigns · Content & Social · Conversation & AI
- Brand
- Old Spice
- Market
- Global
- Year
- 2010
- Category
- Campaigns
- Agency or team
- Wieden+Kennedy, Portland
- Channels
- TV, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit
The context
Old Spice was seen as an old man’s brand, and women bought most of the body wash in US households. Procter & Gamble needed men to switch and women to buy it for them.
Women buy much of the body wash in households, so the ad had to speak to them as well as to men.
The move
Wieden+Kennedy spoke to women directly with a single, absurdly confident character delivered in one continuous take. After the Super Bowl window, the team filmed short personalised replies to comments on Twitter, YouTube and Reddit in near real time.
How it was executed
- Shot the hero film as one continuous take with practical set changes, which made it feel effortless and absurd.
- Built a ‘response’ studio that wrote, filmed and posted short replies to real comments over about two days.
- Replied to celebrities and ordinary fans alike, on the platforms where they had asked.
A one-take TV spot turned a grandfather’s brand into a pop-culture event, then answered fans in 186 personalised videos over two days.
What happened Reported facts
The response videos drew tens of millions of views within days, and the brand’s YouTube channel became the most-viewed branded channel at the time. Nielsen data cited by the agency showed body-wash sales up 107% in the month of the response campaign. It won the Film Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2010.
Why it worked Maer’s analysis
A distinctive character created the attention, and speed turned it into a conversation. Personal replies made people feel seen, so they shared them.
What to take from it Maer’s analysis
- 01Know who actually buys the product, not just who uses it.
- 02A distinctive character is a long-term asset, not a one-off ad.
- 03Real-time replies turn an ad into a conversation.
Indian D2C brands can use rapid creator-style replies on Instagram and YouTube Shorts, but only with a consistent character, a fast approvals process and clear rules about what the brand will never say.
Where Maer applies this
The same thinking runs through these brand templates:
Sources: Wieden+Kennedy case study; Nielsen data cited in Ad Age (2010). Figures are as publicly reported; Maer Media was not involved in this work and is not affiliated with Old Spice.
The Maer Media editorial team studies how brands are built, from positioning and packaging to launches and growth. Figures in each case study come from the public sources listed above; the analysis and the India notes are our own. More about Maer
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