Originally posted on NunezPRGroup.com

Can an ad that fails audience testing go on to propel a brand to digital fame and industry leadership? This is no hypothetical Little Engine That Could situation; Old Spice’s Old Spice Guy campaign to increase market share did just this. Nuñez PR attended Social Media Club of Dallas last week for a look into the well-known digital campaign’s strategy and success.

Old Spice’s “Manliest Man” campaign began with a YouTube video launched Super Bowl weekend introducing the Old Spice Guy. The launch’s strategic timing leveraged Super Bowl ad frenzy for increased visibility and earned media coverage about its “Super Bowl commercial” that never actually aired during the game. To continue momentum, Old Spice created 186 YouTube videos in 2.5 days to reply to social media fans in real time, generating cross-platform engagement and over 1 billion impressions in just one month. In the last phase, humorous Craig’s List postings from Fabio, the “new” Old Spice Guy, set the stage for his coordinated TV and social media takeover and culminated in a social media duel between Fabio and the original Old Spice Guy. Overall, Old Spice experienced a 107% increase in sales from the previous year.

Read on for our key takeaways!

Find what works but don’t necessarily stick to it. – Dean McBeth, campaign Global Digital Strategist

Create New. Old Spice’s innovative video response tactic utilized YouTube in a new way prior to YouTube’s decision to add a similar function to their website months later. The brand’s YouTube channel also became a testing ground for larger-scale television commercials. Finally, a flood of Craig’s List postings generated awareness and media coverage to prime the market for the final phase’s multi-platform execution. Moral of the story? Think outside of the box on how to make social media work for you in coordination with a holistic marketing strategy.

Redefine ROI. While social media impressions and fan totals can be important and impressive metrics, strong customer-brand relationships pave the way for long-term success. The first phase of the “Manliest Man” campaign focused on impressions, casting a wide net with a timely ad placement. The second phase activated these impressions with highly engaging videos distributed across social media and popular bookmarking websites. The third phase honed in further to solidify brand loyalty and sales among top customers. Effectively executed engagement campaigns have a strong ROI because they can turn an occasional customer into a loyal customer and brand advocate.

Leverage Digital. Digital campaigns provide multiple angles for public relations outreach. Old Spice’s video campaign resulted in stories about the buzz-building stunts, campaign and Old Spice Guy himself, Isaiah Mustafa. Ask your team, where else can we extend this messaging for a holistic approach? From social media and bookmarking sites to traditional publications and television, utilizing all of a brand’s assets will maximize reach and opportunities for customer engagement.

 

Did I mention this campaign was planned and executed by Wieden+Kennedy? Please excuse me while I go fangirl.