Old Spice is the leading brand for male personal care and has achieved its position through a strong re-branding campaign spearheaded by Wieden + Kennedy, a Portland based advertising agency. The campaign, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” has bolstered the one-time grandfatherly company into a social media magnate, targeting young males between the ages of 18-34 mainly through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Old Spice has succeeded in engaging with their users and followers particularly on the latter two platforms, which can be attributed to their commitment to providing real-time responses and creating fresh video content - both of which maintain the fun yet masculine message of the brand.
Many of the top brands vying for a market share in the male hygiene product category are engaged in social media campaigns. Old Spice has created a strong presence on multiple platforms; however it is not the only companies solidifying their brand messages via digital strategy
In conclusion, Old Spice has absolutely positioned itself as the top player on social media amongst its closest two competitors. Axe has recently changed its marketing strategy, which has reflected in their stronger female following on Twitter, but Old Spice still controls the amount of engagement generated by the content that it posts. As a result of Old Spice’s strong key influencers on their social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) the company’s fresh content has consistently been well received and has allowed for greater engagement with their followers/consumers. The content is targeted towards a particularly young demographic however it is still accessible to all ages of Old Spice consumers. Furthermore, the company has included women as part of their key message. The originality and creativity of their social media platforms have had a major impact on online engagement by their followers/consumers. By posting only small amounts of new content, Old Spices leaves their followers wanting more and are, therefore, more likely to be even more engaged in their content on an active basis.
Works cited:
Galloway, C. (2005). Cyber-PR and “dynamic touch”, Public Relations Review, [Electronic version]. 31, pp. 572–577.
