Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Old Spice's Viral Success Thanks to Ellen DeGeneres

Once known for his NFL football playing skills, Isaiah Mustafa's fame is now directed towards his acting skills. Starring in Old Spice ads has recently turned Mustafa into a cult celebrity, joining the likes of advertisement stars Milly Mays and the Dell Dude.

With the change of scene comes a change of nickname. Now known as "the Man Your Man Could Smell Like", Mustafa's Old Spice ad had reached 5.8 million viral video views as of last week. While the ad is indeed quite humorous, one has to ask themselves what differentiates this funny commercial from others? The answer probably will not shock you -- PR efforts, kicking off with TV's newest "It" girl, Ellen DeGeneres. Mustafa has also been featured on the "Today" show, "CBS Early Show", and is scheduled to appear on "Good Morning America" and "Oprah". All of these shows may be highly rated, however, it is my personal belief that Ellen DeGeneres' show will be the reason for the viral success. After all, Ellen does have a midas touch.

The AdAge article about the viral success of this spot compared the success to that of the Snuggie. Ironically, Ellen featured the Snuggie on her show LONG before the backwards robes became a household item. Ellen's clout and influential buying power are mainly focused on females, given the composition of her audience. Nevertheless, I have many guy friends who, after probing, will admit to watching, and enjoying, Ellen's show. The estrogen-dominated TV audience of Ellen's talkshow was ideal for P&G, because their research into purchase behaviors led them to the insight that women still buy most men's grooming products outside of razors. Therefore, it is crucial for P&G to win over the hearts of women in order for them to buy the Old Spice deodorant. I can't think of a better way to launch a commercial than to get the ad, and the actor, on the Ellen DeGeneres show -- I'm sure that many of Mustafa's 4,600 Twitter follower's would agree. 

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