The other day my brother sent me a link to a great clip of former NFL player Terry Crews performing Muscle Music. What is “Muscle Music”, you say? Don’t ask, just watch.
And just like that, Old Spice has accomplished its goal of viral marketing: an outrageous video is shared with me via someone else, and I am so impressed/horrified/entertained by the clip that I can’t help but share it with my friends as well.
I wanted to take a minute to discuss Old Spice’s fascinating advertising tactics. Known for their suave commercials featuring Old Spice Guy (Isaiah Mustafa), the Muscle Music commercial with Terry Crews goes a step further than viral marketing by adding an interactive element to the video. It’s pretty hard not to laugh while watching Terry Crews flexing in little spandex booty shorts, and even harder to resist creating your own muscle music at the end of the video.
Due to Old Spice’s product offerings, and the content and format of this commercial, I believe that the most impressionable segment of the market that this commercial will affect is young males between the ages of 10-18 years old. My brother fits right into this segment, which may explain why he actually owns 2-3 Old Spice products and clearly favours the brand over other similar brands.
I thought about my attitude and perception of the Old Spice brand as a result of viewing this commercial. I have never used any of their products and don’t plan on doing so in the near future; I also wouldn’t be inclined to recommend that any of my friends use Old Spice because its products have no real competitive advantage over other personal care products in the same category. This being said, I do have a favourable view of the company thanks to its entertaining commercials, and I definitely want to experience working with the marketing team that comes up with Old Spice’s advertising campaigns!