Online+Ad+Critique

Old Spice "Smell Like a Man, Man" Online Advertising Campaign
The Old Spice advertising campaign entitled [|“Smell Like a Man, Man”] was initially launched as a television campaign prior to the 2010 Super Bowl; however, it soon became a viral video sensation, gaining immense popularity on the web. Once the campaign turned into a YouTube sensation, those behind it chose to capitalize on its online popularity by inviting viewers to submit questions to the Old Spice Guy via Facebook or Twitter. In addition, the campaign gained even more popularity when users began to submit video responses to the commercials.

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The “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign is essentially targeted towards young males aged 18-24 because the Old Spice products are meant to be used by men. However, the Old Spice Guy in the videos directly targets females, perhaps due to the fact that some women are known to purchase such hygiene products for their male partners/family members.

Besides employing social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to expand its audience, Old Spice appealed to its consumers by incorporating humour into the campaign. Since the “Old Spice Guy” is seen nonchalantly parading through ridiculous situations whilst reciting his witty monologues, viewers are inclined to watch the videos because they are guaranteed to get a laugh out of them. It also helped that they made several videos with the same/similar concept so as to avoid issues with users losing interest in the campaign itself.

Although this campaign was first aired on television, I initially came across it on YouTube some time during 2010 – probably right after it became viral. In essence, I believe that the “Smell Like a Man, Man” online advertising campaign was incredibly effective because it is humorous and memorable – I, for one, still watch the videos from time to time for a laugh. Also, the following statistics from the Procter & Gamble website show that the campaign was indeed very effective: [|Source]
 * Nearly 105 million YouTube views of the campaign
 * 1.2 billion earned media impressions, including features on national broadcast networks and international media outlets
 * 2700% increase in Twitter followers
 * 800% increase in Facebook fan interaction
 * 300% increase in traffic to http://oldspice.com
 * Old Spice has become the #1 Most Viewed Sponsored YouTube Channel
 * The “response” videos have been viewed more than 46 million times. In fact, in the first 24 hours they were viewed more times on YouTube than President Obama’s 2008 election-night acceptance speech.

Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty: “Evolution” Advertising Campaign
The Dove campaign entitled “Evolution” is part of the company’s [|Campaign For Real Beauty]. The “Evolution” video was initially launched as part of a series of online-focused spots before being broadcast on television. The sixty-second long video is comprised of a seemingly normal woman who becomes dramatically transformed by a team of make-up artists, hair stylists, and (most disturbing of all) “photoshoppers”. The video ends with the edited image on the billboard for a fictional cosmetic company.

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Since the “Evolution” video is part of the Campaign For Real Beauty, the target audience would essentially be women of all ages – specifically teenagers and older. The campaign is meant to shed light on the issues of body image and the skewed perception of beauty that is constantly perpetuated by the media. Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty aims to change the stereotype by depicting average, healthy, women in advertising for their products, in addition to showcasing what really goes on behind those “perfect” images.

I first came across this campaign whilst watching television. However, it has stuck with me and I have constantly referred to it, shared it with others, and watched it numerous times. The “Evolution” video has spawned several responses on YouTube – users have documented “photoshopping” processes for seemingly perfect celebrities and the advertising campaigns that they are a part of.

Essentially, the video uses “shock value” to drive its message home. Users are so astounded by the drastic way in which the woman has changed that it forces them to think about today’s beauty ideals and the unnatural measures we take in order to achieve them.

I do believe that the “Evolution” campaign was effective in spreading awareness about the ways in which beauty ideals are achieved because it was indeed a memorable campaign that people still talk about. However, I think the campaign could have been improved if they had done more videos – not just one face on a billboard – perhaps showcasing how bodies are altered as well. This would have further reinforced the point the campaign is trying to make and depicted how unrealistic ideals are achieved in more than just one aspect of advertising.