Old Spice Viral Campaign

Many companies dream of executing a viral campaign, yet only a few are successful . One of the companies that was able to create a viral campaign was Procter & Gamble with its brand Old Spice. This campaign, which was launched by the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, featured  a former NFL player, Isaiah Mustafa, in unexpected and catchy commercials.The Old Spice campaign also utilized social media sites such as YouTube, uploading short, comical videos of Isaiah Mustafa replying to consumers' tweets.

The results of the campaign were astonishing. Not only did Old Spice get major brand exposure, the YouTube videos received over "236 million views," making the Old Spice YouTube channel "the number one most viewed sponsored channel on YouTube" (Bullas). Furthermore, Old Spice got "80,000 Twitter followers in 2 days, Facebook interaction increase 800%," and "sales increased by 107%" (Bullas).

So what exactly made the Old Spice campaign so successful? 

Much of it was due to the innovative and creative concept the advertising agency came up with. Most of it, however, was due to the fact Old Spice utilized social media to interact and engage consumers, something no other company had done before. In this case, Old Spice made viewers feel they had a voice, seen with the YouTube video responses uploaded on YouTube. This clearly impacted consumers in a positive way, making them eager to share their opinions with Isaiah Mustafa.

In my case, this campaign not only encouraged me to buy Old Spice, but it also made me have a positive brand image of the company. This is due to the fact the campaign was fun, hip, and creative,  which is something I look for in a company. I also liked that the brand interacted with consumers and listened to what they had to say.

I have to admit the campaign, as well as Isaiah Mustafa, will be on my mind when I find myself shopping for body wash!