After so many years of its signature quirky advertising, it's tempting to think of the Old Spice work as dated. But then "Rocket Car" plays for a full house at the Cannes Lions Film awards, to the absolute delight of the crowd, and you remember that this is a campaign that stays fresh not by reinventing itself regularly—but by fully committing to its bizarre ideas and executing to perfection.
A new Old Spice campaign by Wieden + Kennedy Portland for the Old Spice Swagger line broke during the Cannes festival with a spot called "Five Year Plan." It stars a brand new Old Spice guy, actor Thomas Beaudoin, who emerges victorious in the most anatomically freaky job interview you'll ever see.
The new tagline is, "Smell 'Em Who's Boss."
That spot is already well on its way toward 4 million YouTube views. But it turns out it's just the opening piece of a larger campaign that actually introduces two new Old Spice guys—Beaudoin for Swagger, and actor Alberto Cardenas for the new Desperado scent.
A second Beaudoin spot has rolled out, along with two Western-themed ads starring Cardenas. Check those out below. The work as a whole illustrates the "transformational" powers of the Swagger and Desperado scents to give men "pure unadulterated confidence," says the agency.
As usual, all the language around the campaign is amusingly pear shaped. (Check out the YouTube descriptions of the spots for a chuckle.)
Here's a description of the campaign that W+K provided: "Once there was a man who wanted to be the man. But that man lacked the confidence to be the man. Then along came Old Spice Swagger and Desperado. And soon that man smelled like the man. But not just the man. A better smelling version of the man."
CREDITS
Client: Old Spice
Project: Old Spice | Smell Em Who's Boss
Janine Miletic: Marketing Director
Mathew Krehbiel: Brand Manager
Danny Suich: Senior Assistant Brand Manager
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Erik Fahrenkopf | Max Stinson
Copywriter: Matt Mulvey
Art Director: Lawrence Melilli
Integrated Executive Producer: Erika Madison
Producer: Chris Capretto
Account Team: Georgina Gooley | Nick Pirtle | Michael Dalton
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Steve Ayson
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Line Producer: Mark Hall
Director of Photography: Robert Elswit
Editorial Company: EXILE
Editor: 5-Year, Innocent, Perfect Ending: Kirk Baxter
Editor: Standoff: Nate Gross
Assistant Editor: Zaldy Lopez
Post Producer: Toby Louie / Brittany Carson
Head of Production: Jennifer Locke
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
VFX Company: The Mill | LA
Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
Producer: Chris Harlowe
Coordinator: Rustie Burris
VFX Supervisor: James Allen
2D Lead Artist: Narbeh Mardirossian
2D Artists: Andy Dill, Alex Candlish, Jale Parsons, Don Kim, Lisa Ryan, Brad Scott, Chris Payne
3D Artist: Michael Lori
Matte Painting: Andy Wheater, Nathan McKenna
Music and Sound Design – Five Year Plan, Standoff
Original Music: Walker
Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo
Senior Producer: Abbey Hickman
Sound Designer: Brian Emrich / Trinitite
Music and Sound Design – Innocent
Original Music: Joint
Composers: Noah Woodburn, Tim Ribner
Producer: Sarah Fink
Sound Designer: Brian Emrich / Trinitite
Music and Sound Design – Perfect Ending
Original Music: Woodwork
Track: Sunset Scrubdown
Composer: Philip Kay
Producers: Rachel Wood, Andy Oskwarek
Vocal Arrangement: Walker
Vocals Producer: Abbey Hickman
Sound Designer: Brian Emrich / Trinitite
Final Mix
Studio: Lime Studios
Engineer: 5-Year, Innocent, Perfect Ending: Rohan Young
Engineer: Standoff: Sam Casas
Assistant Engineer: 5-Year, Innocent, Perfect Ending: Ben Tomastik
Assistant Engineer: Standoff: Peter Lapinski
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Color Transfer
Company: Company 3
Artist: Sean Coleman
Color Producer: Matt Moran