The Social Media Secrets of Old Spice

Social media isn't all fun and games. It takes brains too. Not long ago, Old Spice saluted its one million Facebook fans with what Adfreak referred to as an “explosively awesome image.” Awesome indeed. The fiery explosion, the powerful No. 1 finger salute, the soaring eagle wings, the laurels, the tall ship – the image is a feast for the eyes. And the additional message to fans is as equally awesome:

By David Allison / November 12, 2010

Social media isn’t all fun and games. It takes brains too.

Not long ago, Old Spice saluted its one million Facebook fans with what Adfreak referred to as an “explosively awesome image.” Awesome indeed. The fiery explosion, the powerful No. 1 finger salute, the soaring eagle wings, the laurels, the tall ship – the image is a feast for the eyes. And the additional message to fans is as equally awesome:

“One million of you have entered into a sacred club. The Club of the One Million Old Spice Facebook Fans of Old Spice Sacred Club. Congratulations. Please enjoy this heart-shaped explosion and eagle ship as a token of our gratitude.”

Building a Community for a Cause

Last year, a group of amazing volunteers, which included a friend of mine, Tricia Sirrs, and her daughters, made Christmas for more than 300 men and women from close to a dozen nursing homes, virtually abandoned oldsters who had no families to make a Christmas for them.

We’d like to make this year’s efforts even more far-reaching. Here’s how you can help:

– Scour your home and office for items to donate. Read my post on BraunAllison.com for helpful details about what to donate

– Coordinate a day and time to drop off your goodies with Sherrill Sirrs. She can be reached at 604-738-2209 or at sirrs@telus.net

– Tell everyone you know, and let’s see if we can prove that this thing we keep calling the “online community” is really a community, and if we can pull together and do something so easy that will mean so much.

The public absolutely loves it. Comments like “epic” and “I think my brain just exploded from the awesomeness” and “I feel pressing the like button isn’t enough to justify the awesomeness this picture deserves” riddle the page.

Talk about social media with brains.

From the print advertising to the TV commercials, Old Spice’s “smell like a man, man” campaign has been absolutely brilliant – but it’s the integrated social media efforts that are truly worth discussing.

Old Spice has diligently and carefully reached out to and built up fans and followers through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. They have planned their social media campaigns in a way that allows people to become personally invested in the brand. Old Spice has made the audience feel like they are part of the creative process.

One side-campaign, for example, saw Old Spice guy make custom YouTube videos and send them out to more than 180 fans and celebrities who posted on social media channels. It got people talking so much that one week after launch, the videos racked up more than 40 million views, their Facebook chatter went up 800 per cent, website visits went up 300 per cent and Old Spice became the No.1 all-time, most-viewed branded channel on YouTube. The company recorded meteoric sales increases.

Through social media, Old Spice is creating an interesting brand identity that their audience is keen to engage. And as a result they’re creating campaigns that are going viral – getting more and more people hooked on the brand.

Back to the salute to one million Facebook fans. It is, of course, another example of Old Spice’s savvy use of social media and their knack for befriending the audiences they are targeting. At the time of writing (which was a matter of days after the image was posted on Old Spice’s Facebook page), Old Spice’s Facebook fans had already climbed to 1,0002,539. And people are still posting comments. I’d say that’s a well-planned and well-executed campaign.

Are you taking the time to plan social media campaigns or just wildly tapping at the keys every now and then? Are you thinking critically about how you’re using social media? You should be.