Old Spice viral ad. Smell like a man… Super cool concept…

Funny. Memorable. Manly. The minds behind the Old Spice Guy campaign reveal their keys for marketing success. Extracts:
By Dave Smith Business Insider@redletterdave

EXTRACT Full article too long for this feature Courtesy & with thanks Old Spice ad on YouTube

EXTRACT Courtesy & with thanks.
He was “the man your man could smell like.” We looked away from him and were suddenly transported onto a majestic ocean liner. An outstretched hand offered us “two tickets to that thing you love,” shortly before the tickets magically dissolved into diamonds. Then he was on a horse. Really.

This crazy-yet-crisp introduction to one of the most popular viral ad campaigns in history, which aired for the first time during 2010 Super Bowl showdown between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, sparked an Internet phenomenon, reaching more people than Procter & Gamble (Old Spice’s parent company) could have possibly fathomed. The ad amassed 220,000 YouTube views in the few short hours after the Super Bowl, and the video continually gained about 100,000 views every few hours. Even comments on sites like 4Chan and YouTube were overwhelmingly positive. The video had gone officially viral.

Months later, when the campaign had seemingly hit its high point, marketing agency Wieden & Kennedy dreamt up one of the most memorable social media campaigns to-date: A two-day marathon of high-quality, personalized video responses to questions asked by fans on Twitter and YouTube—set up, shot, and published online in Mustafa’s own bathroom.

In the Old Spice Guy vs. New Old Spice Guy Fabio campaign, the creative team even let fans control the outcome of the most important part of the story: the ending.

Extract Dave Smith Business Insider. Courtesy & with thanks.