Month: September 2010

Its hard to be funny when talking about something funny. Especially something as funny as old spice. C’mon soap that comes in a red bottle! HILARIOUS. So i’ll do this post serious, as serious as body odor.  I guess it’s a good thing we have Old Spice.

But enough about me and my hygiene problems, lets talk about Old Spice’s glorious marketing strategy.  So far I’ve deduced that the Old Spice marketing team must consist of young bodacious caucasian women. Not because they only choose ripped black guys to star in their commercials but because they only choose ripped black guys to star in their commercials without their shirts on. Not that I’m complaining, It’s pure marketing genius. We all know that skinny middle-class suburban teenagers (the target demographic)  all want to grow up and be muscular african american men. So why not feature them in the commercials? And if they can crack a few jokes while they stand their flexing the muscles then it’s all the better.

This marketing scheme has actually done very well to boost brand image and as most videos(commercials) are aired on the internet and rather the TV it appeals more to the younger male demographic, who have begun to stray away from the television as their primary source of time wasting and gone to the internet. Plus cable porn has gone really down hill.

Terry Crews

Here is Terry Crews, by far the greatest, and the kick-starter of Old Spice’s african american marketing campaign.  I’m not sure whether it’s his rippling Pecs and matching sound effects or the senseless violence against his white oppressor but I feel like lathering up with some Old Spice. Then again it’s probably just because of my odor.

This summer I took a road trip. Good yes? NO.  I had forgotten the all great and knowing Ipod. Second option: local radio. After bumping back and forth between The Fox and The Peak, then cycling through the many other stations i realized that radio advertising is not what it used to be. And by “not what it used to be” i mean the most ridiculously aggravating  and dim-witted media in existence. I had trouble finding one add that didn’t bring a little vomit into that back of my mouth. Which is why i never get intimate while listening to the radio.  So, lets talk about marketing strategies shall we? About 50% of these companies marketing strategies involved fake Mexican or South American accents. Maybe it was cheaper to do their consumer research in Columbia. Because I’m still struggling to find the correlation between South American accents and increased sales. My guess is they probably had a little to much of the “local produce” while down there too. Not to mention that the voice actors hired to play these roles were horribly miscast as… well… voice actors.

The other 50% were so aggravating that in order to relieve my frustrations I just HAD to punch something adorable. On an unrelated note, Me and  my Aunt/new mother are no longer on speaking terms.

Through my first few marketing classes I have learned that commercials are meant to make you feel, and raise emotions within a person.  NOTHING was raised in this guy (double thumbs pointing towards chest), well, except my suicidal tendencies.
The only add that i found slightly tolerable was for “Quest” (a tele-dating company) in which a lady with an attractive voice described to me the wonders of truly meeting people through fiber optic cables. She ends the add by making me aware of how she is “very, VERY bendy.” As a male, and thus being ruled by two heads, I am forced to enjoy this commercial. None the less, I shouldn’t have to wade through hours of nausea to get the trouser tightening experience I expect from advertisers.

As most of these adds are directed at the youth, I have become increasingly ashamed of my generation. Do adults really think we enjoy, or emotionally respond to these types of adds? Or are they doing this on purpose to get back at us for all the times they had to change our diapers as infants? Whichever the case I’ve become to humiliated to continue being apart of this generation. So long Y’s and Z’s, have fun with your Facebooks, microwaves, and reality televisions. I’m just gunna wait a few generations and team up with the next guys.