Smell Like a Man, Man[2] is a television advertising campaign in the United States created by ad agency Wieden+Kennedy for the Old Spice brand of male grooming products, owned by Procter & Gamble. The campaign is also commonly referred to as The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, being the title of the campaign’s initial 30-second commercial.
Old Spice
Dir. Tom Kuntz, Wieden+Kennedy
The campaign was initially launched to market Old Spice’s Red Zone After Hours Body Wash, but has subsequently been expanded to include other products following the success of the initial advertisements. The campaign targets female viewers, despite the product’s target market being male, as the company determined that women frequently make purchasing decisions in respect of hygiene products even for male household members.[3]
The campaign centers on the eponymous “Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, played by actor Isaiah Mustafa (Old Spice refers to him as “Old Spice Man”) addressing the viewer in confident, rapid-fire monologues which promote the benefit of using Old Spice products. While reciting the monologues, Mustafa progresses through various activities, locations, costumes, and extraordinary situations, all in one uninterrupted take while maintaining constant eye-contact with the camera in a nonchalant demeanor. The advertisements typically feature a surprise ending.