"To smell like a new man: with a towel and a horse."
- Fotoprostudio
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
In a world saturated with deodorant ads where every man looks like he was made from the same mold, Old Spice decided to do something different: laugh at it all. At itself. At its competitors. And above all, at the masculinity clichés that had dominated advertising for decades.
It didn’t change its product. Or its formula. Not even its packaging. What it changed was the way it told its story.
That’s how “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” was born—a campaign that not only revived a brand on the brink of irrelevance, but proved that a great idea can smell like a revolution. A campaign that had it all: humor, strategy, flawless direction, virality before TikTok, and a sharp take on how we construct masculinity.
This post is a guide, an analysis, and an invitation to rethink how a brand can reinvent itself—without shouting, without forcing it… and with just a towel around its waist.
Índice
1. The context: when smelling like a man was no longer enough
In the early 2000s, Old Spice was teetering on the edge of irrelevance. For decades, it had been synonymous with traditional masculinity: ads featuring sailors, horses, and an aesthetic that smelled more of nostalgia than desire. But the issue wasn’t just image. Young people didn’t feel spoken to. The brand was using a dated visual language aimed at the fathers—or even grandfathers—of modern consumers.
Meanwhile, new brands like Axe were capturing the attention of teenagers with bold, aspirational campaigns. Their message was clear: use this deodorant and you’ll conquer. Old Spice, on the other hand, seemed stuck in the “before” phase.
By 2010, Procter & Gamble faced a dilemma: the product was solid, but the storytelling wasn’t. The market had shifted, and what worked in the ’70s no longer made sense. Younger audiences demanded irony, energy, and a new take on masculinity.
The solution wasn’t to change the formula or radically redesign the packaging. It was something deeper and more strategic: rewriting the story of masculinity through parody.
Old Spice didn’t need to be like Axe. It needed to make fun of Axe.
2. An idea that smelled like revolution
Wieden+Kennedy, the agency known for bold work with Nike and other major brands, understood something key: the only way to revive Old Spice was to break down what it stood for. But not with solemnity—with wit and humor. If young men didn’t identify with the classic archetype, why not caricature it to the point of absurdity?
That’s how “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” was born—a campaign that didn’t speak directly to men, but to their partners. The star—played by the charismatic Isaiah Mustafa—speaks straight to the camera in a deep, seductive voice, addressing women directly: “Hello, I’m the man your man could smell like, if your man smelled like me.”
This twist was subtle but radical. Instead of taking the traditional route of promising virility and sexual success to men, Old Spice positioned itself as a parody of the classic alpha male, creating a character so perfect, so polished, so outrageously masculine… that it becomes ridiculous.
The tone wasn’t mockery without direction—it was theatrical, elegant, and self-aware. In just 30 seconds, the spot moves from a bathroom to a beach, to a boat, to a horse… all without visible cuts. The voice remains steady. The message: you’re not this man, but at least you can smell like him.
And just like that, in a single ad, Old Spice:
mocked classic machismo,
regained the attention of a younger audience,
and turned its deodorant into an aspirational experience… but through humor.
The revolution wasn’t in what it said. It was in how it said it.
3. Surgical visual direction
Behind the carefree humor of the Old Spice ad lies an extraordinarily precise visual machine. Nothing was improvised. Almost nothing was digital. Everything was orchestrated like clockwork. The magic isn’t in the special effects—it’s in the direction, the pacing, and the absolute mastery of timing.
The original ad is designed to look like one continuous shot. From the bathroom to the beach, from the beach to a boat, and finally, on a horse. All in exactly 30 seconds, with the actor never breaking eye contact with the camera, never wavering in tone, not even seeming to take a breath. Of course, that’s a trick. But not a digital one. Director Tom Kuntz and the production team used real physical transitions: sets that opened, moving platforms, hidden mechanisms. They built an entire structure where camera movements, lighting, props, and acting had to be coordinated to the millisecond. One small mistake meant starting all over.
Fun fact: the ad was shot over 50 times before nailing the perfect take.
Flawless direction
Isaiah Mustafa wasn’t just an athletic body and a deep voice. He was a trained actor with stage presence. His performance is precise, measured, and incredibly effective—a balance of seduction, irony, and absurdity that maintains the campaign’s tone without breaking the illusion or slipping into crude parody.
Mastery of narrative pacing
Every second of the spot is packed with visual and verbal stimuli. The structure is pyramidal:
It starts with a familiar situation (a man in the bathroom),
rises with unexpected elements (towel → seashell → diamonds → boat → horse),
and builds to the final visual climax: “I’m on a horse.”
This visual and sonic crescendo keeps the viewer hooked, eagerly anticipating the next twist.
No cheap CGI
In an era flooded with digital effects, Old Spice went physical. And that creative choice strengthened the feeling of absurd realism: everything looks real, even if it’s unbelievable.
In short, the visual direction isn’t just an aesthetic choice. It’s an integral part of the message. The character’s credibility is supported by the flawless shot, the seamless editing, and the unusual rhythm. A masterclass in how staging can build brand identity.
4. One campaign, many layers of meaning
At first glance, the Old Spice ad seems like just a well-produced joke. But beneath its layer of polished humor and impossible choreography lies a much richer symbolic weight. It’s not just funny—it’s strategic, critical, and deeply meta.
A satire of the advertising macho man
Old Spice didn’t build a new masculine ideal—it exaggerated the old one until it became absurd. Isaiah Mustafa’s character embodies everything deodorant ads have sold us for decades:
perfect muscles,
deep voice,
total confidence,
complete control over his environment (and women).
But by pushing that model to the extreme—diamonds in hand, instant travel, appearing on a horse—the campaign exposes the stereotype’s artificiality. It makes us laugh at it. And by doing so, it invites viewers to reject that pattern, not aspire to it.
Who is the ad speaking to?
Interestingly, the spot isn’t aimed at the main consumer (men), but at women. The script begins with:
"Hello ladies."
This twist isn’t accidental. It’s designed to grab attention on two levels:
It breaks the traditional pattern where men talk to men about how to be more manly.
It builds rapport with the female audience, who often buy household grooming products.
The subtext is clear: Your guy isn’t this man, but at least he can smell like him. It’s an invitation loaded with irony and desire, turning the product into a bridge between the real and the aspirational… without taking itself too seriously.
Advertising self-awareness
One of the smartest aspects of the campaign is its self-awareness. It knows it’s an ad. It plays with the format. It subverts it.
The direct look into the camera breaks the fourth wall.
The pacing parodies the classic infomercial style.
The script piles on impossible promises (“I’m on a horse”) without trying to justify them.
This turns the ad into a kind of meta-advertising: a piece that mocks advertising codes while mastering their use.
Parody or Reinvention?
Here’s the dilemma: Is Old Spice mocking the alpha male, or reshaping him? Is it laughing at him, or reinventing him?
That ambiguity is part of its success. Viewers can take it both ways. For some, it’s a sophisticated critique. For others, a playful reaffirmation of an exaggerated ideal. Either way… it works.
This multiplicity of interpretations is what makes the campaign so effective: you can enjoy it without thinking, or ponder it for days. And in advertising, that’s pure gold.
5. 360° storytelling: from the TV spot to YouTube comments
A single well-crafted commercial can capture attention. But turning a campaign into a cultural phenomenon requires extending the story beyond the original spot—adapting it across formats, platforms, and moments of consumption. That’s exactly what Old Spice achieved.
Following the overwhelming success of the TV commercial, the brand and Wieden+Kennedy didn’t settle. Rather than simply repeating the formula in new ads, they expanded the character’s narrative universe. And they did so through one of the most powerful channels of the time: YouTube.
The personalized video series that broke the Internet
In July 2010, Old Spice launched the second wave of its campaign. But this time, instead of a single spot, they produced over 180 videos in just three days, in which Isaiah Mustafa personally responded to real comments from users on YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit.
Yes—he replied one by one, in real time, maintaining the same tone, costume, and set design. The responses were directed at:
Anonymous users (e.g., “ilovebacon95”),
Celebrities (such as Alyssa Milano),
Media outlets (like GQ or The Huffington Post),
And even his own fictional daughter.
This format created a sense of direct dialogue—a feeling of being inside the campaign. What had started as a seductive monologue evolved into spontaneous, reactive, and viral interaction.
In less than a week, the videos generated over 40 million views. Old Spice’s YouTube channel grew by an astonishing 2,700%.
A lesson in modular content
The strategy was brilliant because each video was:
short (between 20 and 60 seconds)
repurposable (across different platforms)
personalized (even featuring people’s actual names)
visually consistent (without losing a bit of the original tone)
This approach to personalized micro-content was pioneering at the time and foreshadowed what brands now do on platforms like TikTok, Reels, or Threads: tailoring the message for each micro-audience without losing brand identity.
Transmedia before the hype
Without ever naming it, Old Spice executed a truly transmedia narrative:
TV for initial reach
YouTube for deep engagement
Twitter and Reddit as creative fuel
Even merchandising and spontaneous parodies
It wasn’t about replicating the same message everywhere, but about expanding it organically, in a fun and participatory way.
In short: Old Spice didn’t just run a campaign—they created a narrative universe. And they invited anyone who wanted to enter to inhabit it. Instead of interrupting the user, they made them part of the show. That’s one of the keys to its lasting impact.
6. The results: sales, pop culture, and failed copycats
The Old Spice campaign was not just a brilliant creative piece: it was a measurable success story, replicated in marketing schools, analyzed at advertising conferences, and (as expected) widely imitated. But its impact went beyond the numbers. Old Spice became a cultural phenomenon.
Sales: From meme to supermarket
The results were immediate:
Old Spice product sales increased by 125% in the six months following the spot’s launch.
In the first month after the personalized video campaign, online sales of the “Red Zone” line tripled.
Old Spice became the leading male deodorant brand in the U.S., dethroning Axe for the first time in a decade.
“We doubled the business in six months.”— James Moorhead, Brand Manager de Old Spice (2010)
All of this, without changing the product. Without altering the packaging. Simply by changing the story they told.
Strategic repositioning
Old Spice shifted from being a brand for older men to becoming a cool, ironic, and modern brand with a constant wink to the audience. A balance that very few brands achieve: being mainstream without seeming desperate to please.
Young people didn’t just buy the deodorant. They recommended it. They parodied it. They made it part of their digital language. Isaiah Mustafa went from being “the guy in the commercial” to becoming a globally recognized advertising icon.
Pop culture and spontaneous virality
The commercial was parodied on Saturday Night Live, South Park, and thousands of YouTube channels.
Isaiah Mustafa was invited to talk shows, comic conventions, and advertising festivals.
Phrases like “I’m on a horse” and “Look at your man, now back to me” became memes before the term had the commercial weight it carries today.
Old Spice, a deodorant brand, became a cultural product.
Clones that missed the code
As often happens with every disruptive campaign, imitators followed. Brands such as:
Axe tried to respond with more exaggerated spots (which only reinforced their outdated tone),
Right Guard launched campaigns with soul-less, absurd humor,
And several European brands attempted to copy the “direct-to-camera + scene changes” style without success.
Why did they fail? Because they confused the packaging with the content. They thought the trick was the horse or the long take, and didn’t understand that the real secret lay in the strategic vision, sharp tone, and flawless creative direction.
The Old Spice campaign wasn’t just a good idea. It was a perfect execution at the right moment. And the hardest part of all: it made people laugh and boosted sales at the same time. Without insulting the audience’s intelligence. Without resorting to easy clichés. And without fear of reinventing itself.
What we can learn from Old Spice
Not every brand has the budget for 180 personalized videos, nor a charismatic actor on a horse. But the lesson from Old Spice goes far beyond technical resources. What this campaign brilliantly teaches is that a strong visual narrative doesn’t come from the product itself, but from the perspective you build around it.
Here are the key takeaways:
Strategy precedes aesthetics
Before filming, before writing the script, Old Spice redefined whom it wanted to speak to and from what angle. Their target was young men, but the tone appealed to women, and the message ridiculed the traditional macho stereotype. It was a strategic move, not an aesthetic one.
Before thinking about pretty visuals, think about what you’re saying and to whom you’re saying it. The image is a vehicle, not the destination.
Brand voice matters more than the product
Old Spice didn’t change the deodorant formula. They changed the way they told the story. Their voice shifted from being purely functional (“keeps you fresh”) to becoming a character with personality, humor, and rhythm.
Your product may be simple. But if your tone is unique, memorable, and human, the audience will remember it more than any technical feature.
Parodying clichés is more powerful than following them
Old Spice mocked the male stereotype, but did so from within the system, with affection and complicity. They didn’t break the mold—they exaggerated it until it became transparent.
What if, instead of following what your industry does, you question it with elegance? Instead of trying to be like your competitors, laugh with your customer at the predictable.
Don’t repeat the message—Extend it
The spot was just the beginning. The campaign grew thanks to modularity: videos, interactions, parodies, reactions, memes—all within a consistent visual and narrative system.
A strong story can unfold across multiple formats if you have a solid narrative structure. Think extensions, not repetitions.
A well-thought-out Campaign can make you a leader
Old Spice didn’t have the most innovative product, nor the highest budget. But it had a brilliant idea executed flawlessly. In less than a year, it went from being outdated to market leader.
Investing in creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s a positioning strategy. A good campaign isn’t an expense: it’s an investment in brand equity.
Closing
Old Spice left us with an enduring lesson: you don’t need a new product to tell a new story. All you need is creative courage, a narrative strategy, and a team capable of executing with millimetric precision… even if that means building an entire set just to end up on a horse.
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