Overview
A key point in the "Designing for Spreadability" reading is that while "traditional branding theory has valued controlling meaning rather than inspiring circulation" (p. 201), successful branding in conditions of networked participation gives audiences the opportunity to rework and play with its meaning. For this discussion, let's dig further into one of the examples that the chapter brings up.
The Old Spice "Smell Like a Man, Man" campaign from 2010 was an early, definitive success for harnessing social media participation with an advertising campaign. The chapter discusses some of the ways this campaign operated and was circulated beyond its original text as well as what Old Spice and their advertising agency did to cultivate that circulation. Here are some links to examples and additional information about the campaign that should inform your response:
- First, the original "Smell Like a Man, Man" adLinks to an external site.
- A google search for "old spice guy memes"Links to an external site.
- Know Your MemeLinks to an external site. page about this ad (some interesting details here about weird things people created, like the no longer operational Old Spice Voicemail created by Reddit users, as well as the popularity of Isaiah Mustafa, the ad's star)
- A video explaining the response campaign where Old Spice filmed MustafaLinks to an external site. responding to questions people asked him online
- Other organizations piggyback off the success, creating videos like "Smell Like a Monster"Links to an external site. (Sesame Street uses the ad's format to teach children about prepositions) and my favorite, "Study Like a Scholar, Scholar"Links to an external site. made by a university library trying to encourage more students to study there
- Eight years later, in 2018, Tide makes a parody version of the original commercial as part of the "It's a Tide Ad" Super Bowl CampaignLinks to an external site.
Please write 100-150 words in response to the following question:
How would you explain why this Old Spice ad become more than just another ad people tolerate/ignore and instead turn into a recognizable cultural phenomenon? What about it inspires play and circulation rather than trying to "control meaning"?
Can you think of a more recent advertising campaign that inspired people to rework and play with it in a similar way? Share a link to the original ad and a meme/parody video/other reworking done by someone else. What similarities do you see between this campaign and "Smell Like a Man, Man"?