Unbelievably Long Lasting I Old Spice - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“It’s a fun watch with impressive production value. The pirate concept is a perfect setup for a 'long-lasting scent' benefit. But that 'seahorse' ending feels like a safety net. It's a wink to people who loved the original, but it makes me wonder if the brand is running on fumes creatively. Can it create a *new* iconic moment, or is it just going to keep remixing its greatest hits from 15 years ago?”
Quick Summary
Old Spice demonstrates its new 'long-lasting' feature by placing a good-smelling hero in the most foul-smelling environment imaginable—a pirate ship. The ad leans heavily on the brand's established absurdist humor and seals the deal with a direct, nostalgic callback to its legendary 'I'm on a horse' campaign, ensuring high recall by blending a new message with a classic formula.
Executive Summary
This Old Spice spot is a masterclass in sticking to what works. It doesn't reinvent the wheel; it just puts a fresh coat of paint on a billion-dollar formula. The campaign is built to launch a product with a very rational benefit—a longer-lasting scent—but it smartly wraps that logic in a thick layer of the absurd, cinematic storytelling the brand is known for.
The Core Insight here is simple: men want to smell good, not just for themselves, but to stand out and be desirable, even in the least likely of circumstances. The ad takes this to its logical extreme. What's the opposite of smelling good? A 17th-century pirate ship, a setting that's a sensory nightmare of unwashed bodies, rotting fish, and bad breath. This extreme contrast is the engine of the ad's humor and its strategic clarity.
The execution follows a classic Setup-Turn-Payoff structure. The Setup (0:00-0:20) is a rapid-fire montage establishing the foulness of the pirate ship. It’s a world devoid of freshness. The Turn (0:21-1:15) occurs when this world's logic is broken by Archibald Nicescent, a man who smells impossibly good. His freshness makes him an 'intruder,' an alien in this land of stink. The conflict isn’t about treasure; it’s about scent. This narrative turn allows the product—the new 24/7 Old Spice—to be introduced not as a feature, but as the hero's secret weapon, the source of his power. The Payoff (1:16-1:37) is twofold. First, Archibald escapes his fate not through violence, but through sheer confidence, backflipping off the plank. The final, and most crucial, payoff is the reveal of him riding a giant seahorse, a direct and witty homage to the iconic 'I'm on a horse' line from the 2010 campaign that redefined the brand. This isn't just a gag; it’s a strategic move to borrow equity from one of the most successful ads of the 21st century, instantly connecting this new product to a legacy of confidence and charm.
The Debrief for the team is clear: the Old Spice formula of high-production absurdity remains potent. It proves that you can communicate a rational product benefit without resorting to a boring, feature-focused ad. However, the reliance on the seahorse finale, while clever, signals a potential risk. It shows the brand is more comfortable referencing its past glories than creating entirely new ones. It’s effective, but it plays it safe. The challenge for the future will be to evolve this comedic voice to create the next iconic moment, not just remind us of the last one.
Theme Keywords
Brand Position
The grooming brand that gives you the confidence to smell great and be effortlessly cool, even in the most ridiculous situations.
Brand Archetype
The Jester
Creative Game Plan
Demonstrate unbelievable freshness by placing a well-groomed man in the most unbelievably foul-smelling place imaginable: a pirate ship.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Strategic Sense
The Problem:
The ad's biggest weakness is its reliance on a nostalgic callback. The 'I'm on a seahorse' moment is clever, but it anchors the ad in 2010. It feels like a tribute band playing a hit song instead of a headliner writing a new one. This limits its potential to create fresh cultural currency.
The Solution:
Trust the core concept. The 'good-smelling pirate' is a strong enough platform on its own. The finale should have been a *new*, equally absurd demonstration of confidence that could become its own iconic moment, rather than a reference to a past triumph.
Secondary Issue: Clarity of "What's Next?"
The Problem:
After establishing the product's effectiveness in a highly entertaining way, the ad ends abruptly. The viewer is left amused but without a clear next step. There is no prompt to look for the new packaging, visit a website, or even a simple 'In Stores Now'.
The Solution:
Incorporate a simple, unobtrusive on-screen graphic in the final five seconds. A clean superimposition like 'Find the new 24/7 Collection' over the product shot would bridge the gap between awareness and consumer action without disrupting the comedic tone.
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