How does a simple commercial for men’s soap become a cultural phenomenon? Random crown. When does a product’s “social media push” shift from being lame and contrived to being so self-awarely lame and contrived as to seem genuinely brilliant and spontaneous? Motorcycle chef. What happens when you lock up a fine-looking man and countless writers and art directors and camerapeople on a shower-set for two days with a twitter feed, an HD camera, and a YouTube account? Delicious cake. What can we learn about gender, race, and commerce from a tour de force of ironic masculinity? Chainsaw. And what other five questions might we ask about it all? Monacle smile.
—Nate Barksdale
It assumes a media savvy world, building upon years (generations?) of previous advertising strategies. Then it parodies those strategies in such a ridiculous way that whether you laugh or roll your eyes you’re paying attention, which is the desired result. It’s the Lady Gaga approach to deodorant soap advertising.
—Cliff WarnerThat your man should smell like him. Sorry…couldn’t resist. :)
—Mike HickersonIt makes great parodies like this BYU library video possible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs
He makes it much more difficult to watch other body wash/deodorant commercials with a straight face. The Old Spice ads say out loud all of the unsaid implications of other advertising - You’ll be handsome! Rich! Irresistible! Or at least smell like you are! - and reveal the inherent silliness of the genre.
—Mike Hickersona funny culture
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