The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

MMC520M – Copywriting                09/23/2017                                

Alvarez, Dezza                 

De Dios, Angelo Gabriel

Montemayor, Pau

"The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"

1. THE STORY

1. What specific problem did the campaign try to solve? Discuss a specific condition (socio, political, economic, etc.) that was present during the period of the campaign.

During the early 2000s, there was this stigma in the body wash/hygiene market that women purchase these products for their partner (men). More than 50% of men’s body wash were being purchased by women, making most advertisements and promotion efforts inefficient since it does not convey the right connection with the male target, in which are the direct consumers of the product. Another problem was that men often used women-scented body wash as compared to musky/masculine scent. There was a problem amongst men when it comes to purchasing the right body wash or attributing their masculinity to the right scent. Also, the brand “Old Spice” was deemed irrelevant to the younger market for them to consider in their purchases, Consumers felt that Old Spice as being an “old” brand compared to the other youth-oriented body wash brands in the market.

Old Spice was struggling to keep up in the growing market for men’s body wash and similar products. The brand also needed to educate both men and women of what a proper man should smell like, as to how both genders will accept the scent which will suit both of their needs. That is for women to appreciate how a real man should smell and feel like. And, for men to feel their innate masculinity and be selective of what type of body wash to use and what he should rightfully smell like.

1. Who were the brand’s competitors? How did the brand compare before the launch of the campaign?

• Dove Men Care (Unilever)
• Axe (Unilever)
• Dial (Henkel)
• Right Guard (Henkel)
• Gillette Body (P&G)

Before “The Man Your Man Can Smell Like” campaign, Old Spice was unpopular and inferior amongst the other youth-oriented competitor brands in the market. One of the main reason was it was being associated and recognized as an “old” brand considering that it was an established brand since it existed as far back as the 1930s (80 years old to then 2010). Old Spice’s main problem was it could not penetrate the younger market because of the obvious reason: those people would not want to use the same products that their grandfather/father was using. The brand needed to be repositioned in the market and to tap the youth segment to become relevant again.

1. Who was the target market of the campaign? What consumer insight was relevant to the campaign?

Target Market:

1. Men and women ages from 18-49 – middle class
2. Digitally-aware and tech-savvy consumers

Consumer Insights:

1. Men use women-scented products
2. Old Spice is an “old and aging” brand in the men body wash market
3. More than 50% women are responsible for purchasing body wash for men

1. What was the creative strategy to solve the problem?

The challenge for Old Spice and the agency handling the account - Wieden + Kennedy Portland was how to become relevant in the highly competitive and youth-intensive body wash market. The brand needed to convey a new form of messaging that can both target simultaneously women (who are the mostly responsible in product trial and purchase) and men. And also how to reposition the Old Spice body wash as a masculine brand that men will appreciate than just settling for women-scented products. The message was clear: it was how a man should smell like a man.