Michael GirdleyGirdley Enterprises, Girdley Enterprises, Inc. · Business builder and investor

How Old Spice Avoided Bankruptcy

Name: How Old Spice Avoided Bankruptcy
Uploaded: 2024-11-05T16:17:04+00:00
Duration: 36 s
Channel: Michael Girdley
Description: The video narrates Old Spice's near‑bankruptcy in the early 2000s, describing how the brand was seen as old‑fashioned and only for older men. To revive…

5 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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The video narrates Old Spice's near‑bankruptcy in the early 2000s, describing how the brand was seen as old‑fashioned and only for older men. To revive sales, the company overhauled its formula, packaging, and, most importantly, its advertising strategy. They hired the agency behind Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign and shifted the message to target women—specifically girlfriends who purchase men’s body products—using a single, humor‑driven ad and a flood of low‑cost guerrilla and viral social‑media tactics, including real‑time video responses. This approach led to a 125 % sales surge in a few months, making Old Spice the top choice for young men’s body wash.

Chapters

Old Spice was headed for bankruptcy until they finally figured out how to get young guys to buy their products: advertise to women. Here's how it happened. Let's go back to the early 2000s. Old Spice is old-fashioned, for dads and grandpas, not something young guys would ever wear. And the company is headed for bankruptcy. So they make one last-ditch effort to change everything: the formula, the bottle, and most importantly, their message. They hire the ad agency behind Nike's "Just Do It" campaign to make Old Spice cool for young guys. The approach is simple: one ad plus a ton of cheap guerrilla marketing. And what makes it genius, though? They're not just advertising to guys. They're advertising to the people who actually buy guys' body products. Girlfriends, they're tired of us being stinky.
Look at this. Hello ladies, look at your man. Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now back to me.
Then they flood social media. Before, this was the normal advertising playbook. They even respond to fans in real-time videos. They treat the internet like a playground, just like their target market does. The result? Sales of Old Spice body wash skyrocket by 125% in just a few months, and suddenly they're the number one choice for young men to be less stinky.