From the resurgence of the Old Spice Guy to the dynamic world of digital out-of-home advertising, creativity is reclaiming its role in campaign success

The “Old Spice Guy” has stood as a behemoth in creative advertising over the last 15 years. After being introduced as maybe one of the most absurd commercial executions back in 2010, the Man-Your-Man-Could-Smell-Like campaign went on to deliver several derivative elements including YouTube videos answering fan inquiries to subsequent campaign iterations. The creative concept was so successful and widely regarded that P&G brought back the Old Spice Guy to celebrate 10 years since the original commercial in 2020, introducing the Old Spice Guy’s son.

The Old Spice Guy hit all the notes of a truly creative execution of an idea. The campaign was irreverent. Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice Guy himself) was the human version of a smolder; a character you might envy or fall in love with (the abs, the handsomeness). And his take on being “the-man-your-man-could-smell-like” if he’d stop using lady-scented body wash was strikingly relatable. The hygiene product of the proverbial “old man,” Old Spice Guy flipped an entire generation’s perception of the brand in a matter of seconds. 

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