2010 / Video / Surreal commercial turned internet event
The Old Spice Man
Look at your man. Now back at me. Now look at the internet trying to keep up.
The original is off-site. HAHrchives preserves the story and a route back to it.
What happened
The ad’s impossible confidence, escalating scene changes, and earnest nonsense made its lines instantly repeatable. In July, the team turned the character into a live internet presence, filming personalized video replies to questions from fans and public figures.
Where it came from
Old Spice and Wieden+Kennedy released “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” online in February 2010, starring Isaiah Mustafa in a rapid-fire, single-shot pitch that moved from shower to boat to horse without blinking.
Why it mattered
The Old Spice Man made a commercial feel less like an interruption and more like something the web could play with. Brands have copied the tone ever since; the remarkable bit was not the product pitch, but the decision to answer the internet back while it was still talking.
How it spread
Those replies raced across Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, blogs, and YouTube. Wieden+Kennedy says the team made 186 response videos in two and a half days—an astonishingly fast feedback loop for the era.
Keep going
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