The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
In the Old Spice commercial “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” a shirtless, towel-wrapped man portrayed by Isaiah Mustafa, is speaking directly to women. He’s telling them that their man is definitely not him, and that they never can be, but they can smell like him if they use Old Spice. One of the creators of the commercial, Craig Allen stated, “The campaign targets female viewers, despite the product's target market being male, as the company determined that it is the woman who frequently makes purchasing decisions in respect of hygiene products, even for male household members.” This makes sense to me, to target females in the commercial. From my personal experience the women that I have had relationships with have a major say in what deodorant and cologne I buy, which determines how I smell. Old Spice creatively uses pathos and repetition to send the message to women that if their men use Old Spice, they will not only smell great, but be able to accomplish anything they desire.
The commercial goes through elaborate set changes. First, Isaiah is in a bathroom wearing a towel without a shirt on. Then suddenly he changes into beach shorts while a tied shirt falls from the sky to drape over his shoulders. The scene then changes to him sailing on a boat. While all of this is happening a magical clam appears in his hand, and inside are “tickets to that thing you love,” then in an instant they turn into diamonds and he says, “Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady,” In the final scene he ends up on the beach, and as the camera zooms out, he appears on horseback.
The commercial is so richly soaked in pathos. The feelings of the woman towards her man are directly targeted. It makes the woman who watches it think, I wish my man were you, or would at least smell like you. Sex appeal is one of the strongest forms of pathos in advertising today. It is used strongly to attract women to the ad, by using a cut actor with good looks and no shirt. Women will definitely pay attention and possibly want their man to be more like him. They may have those same feelings associated with the product and be more willing to purchase it in hopes that it will bring an improvement to their relationship.
It also appeals to pathos, by leading the viewer to think and feel that if their man uses Old Spice, “Anything will be possible,” and by giving examples throughout the commercial of things you would love for your man to do for you. It motivates you to purchase Old Spice in hopes that your man will accomplish those things you want. Everyone loves to smell great. We do it to impress the opposite sex and make others actually enjoy being in our presence. Deodorant, body wash, cologne, and our natural odors are the mediums that define how we smell. In an article in the Economist Newspaper it stated, “Craig Roberts, of the University of Liverpool, and his colleagues working with a team from Unilever’s research laboratory, have been investigating that appropriate scents can improve the mood of those who wear them.” Scents are powerful, they can enhance ones mood, and as well their confidence. In reality, even if you buy old spice for him, there will still be things that your man cannot accomplish. It will not give him a Masters degree, or help him get to the moon, but the commercial wants you to believe that it could give him the confidence to accomplish those things. It makes the consumer feel a ray of hope, and really think their man can accomplish anything.
The use of repetition throughout the commercial helps solidify the idea that “Sadly, your man isn’t me, but he can smell like me.” It is said several times to make the point more clear and get the message across. Repetition is a good way to get an idea in a persons mind, and help them act upon it. In this case it is to buy Old Spice for their man, so he can be more like that hunk of a man from the commercial.
The repeating pattern of changing sets and scenarios helps keep the viewer entertained and mesmerized. They show so many different situations that your man could put you in, from sailing on the ocean, to horseback riding on the beach. They repeat the pattern of change quickly to get more information and details into the short ad. It helps to solidify the message into the viewers’ minds of what they want, and what will be accomplished by using Old Spice.
The techniques of this ad have proven to be a successful marketing campaign. Since its release on February 8, 2010, it has received over 36 million views on YouTube. In July 2010, the ad won a Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. It was reported that sales increased to one hundred and seven percent following this campaign. It shows that the emotions and feelings targeted with pathos and the ideas enhanced by repetition helped increase sales and worked quite well on the intended audience. Even though this product won’t make your man more handsome, or any more willing to do the dishes, it will make him smell great.
Works Cited
Allen, Craig. Kallman, Eric. “The Making of Old Spice's commercial: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Twitter. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.twitter.com>.
"The Man Your Man Could Smell Like." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Old Spice, 04 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com>.
"The Scent of a Man." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. The Economist Newspaper, 18 Dec. 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.economist.com/>.
