How the Old Spice Videos Are Being Made
How do you take the social web by storm in a day, winning over even the coldest of hearts and gaining international acclaim - with commercials?
A team of creatives, tech geeks, marketers and writers gathered in an undisclosed location in Portland, Oregon yesterday and produced 87 short comedic YouTube videos about Old Spice. In real time. They leveraged Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and blogs. They dared to touch the wild beasts of 4chan and they lived to tell the tale. Even 4chan loved it. Everybody loved it; those videos and 74 more made so far today have now been viewed more than 4 million times and counting. The team worked for 11 hours yesterday to make 87 short videos, that's just over 7 minutes per video, not accounting for any breaks taken. Then they woke up this morning and they are still making more videos right now. Here's how it's going down.
Setting the Stage
Old Spice, marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy and actor Isaiah Mustafa are collaborating on the project. The group seeded various social networks with an invitation to ask questions of Mustafa's character, a dashing shirtless man with over-the-top humor and bravado. Then all the responses were tracked and users who contributed interesting questions and/or were high-profile people on social networks are being responded to directly and by name in short, funny YouTube videos. The group has made videos in response to Digg founder Kevin Rose, TV star Alyssa Milano (now big on Twitter) and many more people, famous and not.
It is well done and it appeals to peoples' egos - but there is something more, too. It feels very personalized, even if it wasn't directed at you. Those people that got responses, and many people who didn't, have Tweeted, Facebooked and otherwise shared links to the videos back out across their social networks.
Iain Tait, Global Interactive Creative Director at Wieden, is leading the effort. "In a way there's nothing magical that we've done here," he explained by phone this afternoon. "We just brought a character to life using the social channels we all [social media geeks] use every day. But we've also taken a loved character and created new episodic content in real time."
How They Are Doing It
Tait says that the primary differentiator between this campaign and others is how closely technical and social media specialists are working with the creative team. "We brought social media experts right into the creative process," he told me. Tell that to the next person who claims that all so-called social media experts are just hot-air. Tait's own savvy no doubt played a large role in the success of the campaign as well. He's just been at Wieden for 3 months, after leaving a UK agency he co-founded 8 years ago. He was voted the Most Influential Person in the UK's New Media Age Top 100 Interactive Agencies Guide last year.
"In the room there are two social media guys and a tech guy who built a system pulling in comments from around the web all together in real time," Tait says. (Right: Inside the studio, around noon today.)
"We're looking at who's written those comments, what their influence is and what comments have the most potential for helping us create new content. The social media guys and script writers are collaborating to make that call in real time. We have people shooting and we're editing it as it happens. Then the social media guys are looking at how to get that back out around the web...in real time."
The videos aren't being posted in chronological order immediately after the Tweets and comments they are in reply to. They get moved up and down a queue in a deliberate, orchestrated, if very fast way.
Tait: "Those people are having more fun than I've ever seen anyone have in a shoot like this. That's part of why it's doing so well. It's genuinely infectious, it transmits itself through the internet in a massive way."
How loved has the new campaign proven to be? 4Chan, the anonymous nihilist obscene messageboard from whence sprang memes like LOLCats and RickRolling, was the subject of what's now the 3rd most-watched of the Old Spice videos made yesterday, after the ones made for Perez Hilton and Kevin Rose. 4channers hate everything, especially people who talk about 4chan - which this savvy man in a towel did not do. But 200,000 views later, that absurd video response to "Anonymous" has received more than 4000 thumbs up from viewers and less than 100 thumbs down.
Freedom
Tait says that Old Spice's parent company Procter & Gamble exhibited incredible bravery in allowing his team to write marketing content in real time, with little to no supervision.
"There is such great trust [between the companies]," he said. "But we are being very responsible. They have given us a set of guidelines and if we get close to the edges we contact them."
That trust is all the more necessary because of how new this really is, in some ways. "If the message that comes out of this is that you can make TV commercials in 30 minutes, then we're all out of a job," Tait jokes. "This is something new. We're operating on Internet time but with a level of quality you'd get on a TV slot. That combination was what really got many peoples' attention."
Old Spice continues to post new, personalized videos to its YouTube channel. How long can they go? No one knows, but Mustafa's sure to smile seductively and make a goofy-macho joke about it once the team is done.
The campaign itself is unlikely to end even then, though. You can already get an Old Spice Man voicemail message generated for your phone. The coolest thing about that? That system wasn't even created by Old Spice or Wieden - it was built by a crowd of users at social news site Reddit this afternoon.
Update: At midnight Wednesday night, a very tired looking Mustafa posted the following conclusion.
Double Update: Now Alysa Millano has donned a towel her bathroom and challenged Mustafa to make a $100,000 donation to support wildlife restoration in the Gulf of Mexico. Well done.
Disclosure: Wieden + Kennedy is an occasional consulting client of the author's. But this story was too cool to abstain from telling just because of that.
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Take that, Prince! The internet is dead. Long live the internet!
Thanks for sharing this, Marshall. I am not a fan of Old Spice, but their social strategy is rather impressive.
Ekaterina, look at Isaiah Mustafa. Now look at your man. Now look back at Isaiah Mustafa. ;) Ha. I just had to say that. I've never even met your man. I bet he's a smart cookie though, and he probably smells just fine.
OK - what's English Leather's counter-strategy? #oldspice
A much needed article for the hour. Right from teenagers to people across all age spectrum, the entire social networking world is trending with a product name which may have never been so widely known before. So much that people are beginning to ask technical details about actual worth of the product itself.
What amazes everyone is how it is being done and you have unveiled that mystery. What remains to be seen is how long these creative guys are going to continue this and how long it is going to keep us attracted towards it.
For me, the excitement has already started exponentially decreasing just a day after their first release.
It's amazing how one marketing campaign can transform Old Spice from the aftershave your grandfather used to something so hip and masculine. Bravo sirs and madams.
But will it get people buying Old Spice? That is the question.
Absolutely brilliant. Congrats to Old Spice & the Wieden & Kennedy team.
Great campaign.
Hope Mr. @OldSpice greets the new baby boy born today to my neighbor, @CampLeadership.
I wonder, though, whether the campaign can make the jump to the mainstream outside the tight media and advertising circles on Twitter and Reddit.
I asked some non-tweeting colleagues today whether they had heard of the campaign. Universal response = not yet.
Fascinating ad campaign, especially amidst all of the noise these days. This is the type of campaign and article we like to pick up in our @DataPop corporate blog: This Week in Relevance
Dave
http://www.thisweekinrelevance.com
Old Spice seems to have really started experimenting with new ways to reach consumers. Not sure how this ties into it, but they managed to get BustedTees.com to release a swan dive shirt and are sponsoring free shipping.
It's a brilliant and savvy campaign, but most of all the W + K team has created fun and directly engaging programming that made this ordinary weekday come alive as an event for those who noticed and spent the day stuck on twitter. The youtube videos will live on forever, but the magic was in the day.
Haha, damn it.
This was the article I wanted to write!
However, awesome to see how it was done. Grats to all involved :)!!!
I know, I was thinking about writing this for 2 days. Their use of technology is awesome, congrats to old spice for being savvy and not ignoring the new way of things.
I actually use old spice (Body Wash and Deodorant) I think this is hilarious. Two thumbs up to W + K team and P&G for blazing new real time paths for others to follow.
Shameless plug: be sure to check out http://www.mangospring.com :)
This is one of those "one small step" moments.
It's not practical (and, the novelty would wear off) if this were done too frequently.
But, there is the ability to use "social media" distribution channels for interactive storytelling that includes audience/user input.
In fact, it will become "normal" to presume that we can engage with characters (albeit, virtual facsimiles more often than not), but, that our 2-cents will be part of the experience, rather than being passive consumers. The fact is, there is the ability (right now, I've seen it) to generate personalized videos based on conversations that Users have with virtual characters. For reaching the masses (not just the digital elite), those kind of tools will be where this "one small step" leads...
Or, maybe not...
Really thought provoking comment, Bob. Thanks.
Just wrote a more theoretical take on the whole shebang here:
http://bit.ly/96Lakc
[An extract]:
"One contemporary example of a Presencing/Synthaptic Campaign centres on a PR-created character called “The Old Spice Guy” or @OldSpice. This campaign, which makes extended use of social media > network dynamics, initialized with a Synthaptic threading system directly developed from a more conventional advertising campaign...Each episodic response illustrates the flattening of traditional entertainment factors [think: @OldSpice responding to "everyday" users as well as more established Hollywood/Internet celebrities]. The campaign realigns passive entertainment construction and distanced absorption via real-time Immediation and Regenerative Comprehension..."
This campaign has been amazing and my one big question was "who is behind this?" Was it the actor spearheading this? Did the ad agency bring it to Old Spice? Did Old Spice hunt down an agency that could pull it off?
That was the one thing that I wanted to know, thanks for answering it.
The @OldSpice video responses are like a nearly-live version of the viral "Subservient Chicken" campaign... very clever.
To think I'd never even seen a televised Old Spice commercial until after they twitted about the screen yesterday.
Pure JOY! The whole team exudes joy, smart, fun, clean, hip, open, community. Nothing smarmy or crass. Looks like egos tucked aside allow for wonderful product.
The twitter bits made my day. Made my husband remember we need to buy more Old Spice. Reminded us that our son's bday is next week. He's been cleaning it up with Old Spice for years. That present is all wrapped up.
Celebrate! Congrats. Allie D.
Karl, this is way cooler than Subservient Chicken.
Thank you so much for this info! I was dying of curiosity.
Tait is crazy humble. What his team has pulled off here is epic. And the real stars (besides Mustafa, who is SPOT FREAKING ON) are the writers.
Who are these mens/lady persons? Whoever they are, I'm convinced they are exceedingly handsome. And pleasant-smelling.
Kudos to the entire W+K team. Amazing.
Perspective?
4 million views in a day or two and lots of hype.
Fine. Cool. Well played.
But, just do a media buy on a couple of Network channels on Primetime and achieve the same any day of the week. Bigger reach, Can be equally memorable. Can spread online or have online follow up.
So, why is this such a BFD?
One word: Twitter.
All tech blogs worship Twitter. That's all.
In the scheme of Mass Pop Culture, this campaign is meaningless. It's only in the niche-tech Pop Culture where it (apparently) means something.
It's also so blatantly elitist - if you're a Twit-Celeb, some TV ad character will glom onto your Stardom (without paying you) and we Peons will all worship at your every little Tweet. Watch out, some Agent-to-the-Twitter-Stars is going to start negotiating Deals in this space soon (WMA, where are you?)...
I'm pretty much giving up on America. Really. I am.
In so many respects, it turns "social media" into an unpaid advertising channel, nothing more. And, we all say ooh and aaah, while gaffer taping up our iPhones...
It's amazing how many "savvy" people still believe that Old Spice only makes 40-year old aftershave. They've been reinventing their brand and diversifying their product line for years.
To those worried about this not reaching beyond the Twitter/tech crowd, I think you're missing a key point. They are reaching a huge swath of influencers and opinion leaders, and reinventing their brand as hip and cool with that group. The benefits of that will pay off long after this campaign ends.
I love the commercials. I love the character. I love the writing. And I really love the social media strategy.
I definitely want to smell like that dude.
And I'm going out tomorrow to buy some Old Spice product and see what it does for me. WTF, eh? What does brand loyalty get me these days?
I'll get back to you on what my lady thinks of my new smell.
Great article!
Interestingly, Old Spice' old campaign had a pretty popular TV ad too. I remember seeing it about 20 years ago -the Carmina Burana music & guy surfing. The journey from then to now, with this new Isaiah Mustafa campaign - pretty much encapsulates how communication has evolved over this period!
Thanks for the behind the scenes look. This campaign goes to the top of my 'I wish I thought of that" list. It just proves what we say to clients about social media: it's not about technology - social media campaigns need a solid strategy and a great idea. Hats off to W+K (a manly top hat!).
As far as 'spreading beyond the Twitter/blog crowd', I saw Mustafa interviewed yesterday by Kerry-Anne Kennerly, the Australian equivalent of Oprah Winfrey!
Expect similar things to happen soon in other parts of the world, as the 'Twitter/blog crowd' who work in TV stations pass the word on about the witty, creative shirtless man to the producers of female-targetted daytime TV shows.
@Dale R
This might go over your head, but even though the campaign is located in Oregon currently, It really is a prime BFD in how Advertisement is done correctly for the internet audience. That alone is a world-wide scale of things.
Its not popular because of Twitter, but that service is one of the greater avenues where people are listening from. No, this really hit a nerve in a culture that responds best when they are seeking out the information, rather then being plastered with it. The fact that popular and notable people of the scene are actively engaging with this campaign (in one form or another) just perfects the harmony that brings in more people to actively look and search for the advertisement. That's quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself.
SWAN DIVE into one of the most insightful comments today!
Of course people will now buy (or at least try) Old Spice. Retro products are hip now--especially when presented in a clever way such as this. Just look at Pabst Blue Ribbon.
I have a man-crush on OldSpiceGuy. SHHH!!! Don't tell anyone! ;)
I think I would agree with Comment 24. Which is confirmed when the Creative involved refers to the use of 'Social Media Channels'
This is another great creative, never been done before, that generates buzz on it's novelty factor. It's got attention which is, in fairness, what an Ad agency is tasked to do. It will win an Ad Award.
But what proves Comment 24's point is; could this be done again and achieve the same results? We are so focused on creative extremes to get attention in a world where people no longer looking at the stage.
---------------------------------------------------
Perspective?
4 million views in a day or two and lots of hype.
Fine. Cool. Well played.
But, just do a media buy on a couple of Network channels on Primetime and achieve the same any day of the week. Bigger reach, Can be equally memorable. Can spread online or have online follow up.
So, why is this such a BFD?
One word: Twitter.
All tech blogs worship Twitter. That's all.
In the scheme of Mass Pop Culture, this campaign is meaningless. It's only in the niche-tech Pop Culture where it (apparently) means something.
It's also so blatantly elitist - if you're a Twit-Celeb, some TV ad character will glom onto your Stardom (without paying you) and we Peons will all worship at your every little Tweet. Watch out, some Agent-to-the-Twitter-Stars is going to start negotiating Deals in this space soon (WMA, where are you?)...
I'm pretty much giving up on America. Really. I am.
In so many respects, it turns "social media" into an unpaid advertising channel, nothing more. And, we all say ooh and aaah, while gaffer taping up our iPhones...
OK good creative plan... BUT is this actually going to generate increased sales? Will it reposition "Old" spice as a rival to AXE....?
Let’s see how this campaign impacts on sales and what the ROI is. As always this is not a concern of the advertisers as their ROI will be an award no doubt.
Brilliant Strategy. Smell is subjective. I bet it'll work.
Brilliant strategy, awesome execution. Smell is subjective, I bet this will work.
Dale R, this comment is directed primarily towards you.... though naturally has relevancy to the entire article.
I was one of the lucky ones to get a personalized response from the Old Spice Guy... and lord how it made my day! I am by no means a twit-celeb... not even close. I'm not really an anything celeb - I'm just an ordinary person who was lucky enough to have an interesting question.
What is the big deal about all of this? The big deal is that it was an incredible undertaking and doubtlessly a landmark case on how social media can be used to engage and interact with audiences. This little project has not only produced content that people actively -want- to watch in the full knowledge that they're watching and supporting advertising (which is a feat in and of itself), it is actively shaping the image of Old Spice in a way which extends beyond a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out. Each and every clip advances that character, makes it more real to people, and gives people a feeling of investment in the brand as active participants - even if that participant/commenter/sharer in the does not get chosen for a personalized response to their message. Getting people personally invested in a brand means that they move from either being uninterested or passive users to being at least somewhat interested, all the way up to taking a role of active advocacy. You get people passing along links, saying how awesome the brand is and turning it from 'just another brand' into something way more than that. At the very least, it starts a conversation, makes people curious to try it out, and doing so in a way that brings great novelty, fun and frivolity into the whole process. It spreads a perception of openness, of a willingness to try new things and to interact with people - you're no longer just selling a product - you're letting other people help you sell it too and telling them you value them at the same time.
Beyond that, think about it from Old Spice's perspective: you're inviting people across the globe, from all walks of life to comment and talk about your brand in a saturated manner over a couple of days (with an obvious trail-on effect after the fact, too). What a market research gold-mine! What a great way to see what type of consumers pay attention to this type of campaign, where they're coming from, how they react to it, how people really perceive the brand, the character, and so forth. There are lots of benefits to a project like this over putting an ad on television and leaving it at that. A tv ad is a one-way conversation - this campaign opens up the floodgates.
Successful commercial reactionary social media marketing may still be happening on a fairly small scale at this point, but this brilliant advertising campaign is going to be doing more than raising a few eyebrows for a couple of days, don't you think? This has set a bar. I just can't wait to see what happens when someone tries and succeeds at setting it even higher!
@Kat Johnston: your response doesn't resemble that of "just an ordinary person who was lucky enough to have an interesting question".
It's a great stunt but is it true social media? After all, while it has been personalised, it doesn't seem to be an ongoing conversation - and did they miss a trick by not including a buy it now button?
I've been posting along these lines at http://bit.ly/9whkNL and would love to know what others think.
Some funny stuff, but I'm still about as likely to buy Old Spice as I am to see a Double Rainbow. "What does it mean, what does it mean??"
Funnyest add I have seen for a long time. we shold let youtube adds on our tímapantanir .is side also
brilliant ...I use old spice daily....
OMG, that's a lot of hard work, but these Old Spice videos are horrible...
So brilliant that even I want to use Old Spice :)
A case study I will worship and show my clients!
Marshall, I've been watching this whole event unfold and while the commercials are technically awesome and well written, the viral campaign inspired, the real magic (and what P&G is hoping for) is exposing Old Spice brand to a new audience and having women associate the smell with a 'manly man' like Mustafa instead of their grandfathers.
Smell is a potent memory trigger and one reason why my wife won't let me wear Old Spice.
So that bears the question, how many women will now buy Old Spice for their men just so they can fantasize about Isaiah Mustafa during sex?
Great job!!! This is what social media is about, engaging with consumers. We feel taken care of, we feel acknowledged, regardless. And everything so quickly put together!
I didn't know what Old Spice was, now I do! Love from Melbourne, Australia.
Why is this brilliant? Because of the hype AND the execution--a perfect blend.
This won't just generate interest on social networks. It'll jump to email as people email their friends to take a look at this/that video or as they talk about it at dinner.
And take a look at their website--they are leveraging the "internet" in more than one clever way.
No matter whether a message is commercial or political or educational, when someone does something innovative people notice and it "sticks".
As the Heath brothers comment in their book Made to Stick--the unexpected message is the one that resonates.
Kudos to Old Spice's creative team for shaking things up.
I think the Old Spice character was copied straight from the Peep Show character called Johnson.
Using the character in this way is still pretty clever though.
The original set of ads were clever and funny, going viral for that reason. I appreciate the integration of social networking and 'real-time' responses but this concept is forced and obvious. Only marketers and ad people are loving this. Plus, the videos have jumped the shark in terms of quality.
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