Old Spice Changed a Generation of Advertising

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like was an advertising campaign ran by Old Spice in 2010 that helped shape the next generation of advertisements.  These short, fast-paced commercials connected with the audience, taking a step away from typical men’s hygiene ads.  

Instead of slow-motion shots of men smiling in a steamy shower, we are met with former NFL wide receiver and actor, Isiah Mustafa, in a towel.  

In the ad, he addresses the audience and holds eye contact with the camera, listing different benefits of being a man who uses Old Spice. The fast pace of the commercials was accompanied by seamless scene changes; from a bathroom, onto a boat, then onto a horse. 

The allusion that they were made in one shot kept people’s eyes on the screen. It usually ends with a humorous and surprising reveal, such as Mustafa being backwards on a horse, keeping your attention until the absolute end.  

These ads were made especially for women and to capture their attention, which is why they call out to the “Ladies” at the beginning. Statistics show that 60% of male body wash is purchased by a woman in their life.  

Old Spice found that making an ad designed to catch women’s attention and hold it through the commercial would result in more sales. They captured attention with elements such as humor, smooth scene changes, fast-paced and stereotypical things that women like; “tickets to that thing that they like”, diamonds, etc.  

The ads close with Mustafa holding a bottle of Old Spice and the iconic Old Spice whistle.  

Much of the campaign’s success came in the form of online virality. The commercials were made to be shown on TV, but thrived in online spaces like YouTube. Old Spice even released the first ad online before its TV debut during the Super Bowl.  

Old Spice later started an “Internet Responses” series on their YouTube channel, responding to people's reactions, from celebrities to random people online.  

In the present day, we are used to companies having an online presence; interacting with comments, making videos on TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts. But when this campaign started, the social media platform Vine wasn't even a thing yet.  

This form of advertisement changed how companies advertised to online audiences and shifted audiences' perspective on what a commercial could be.