Is it too late for Old Spice to join in the football fun? Well, this ad launched just before England’s semi-final – and might have landed better had the result been different – but it is at least in keeping with its usual irreverent tone.
At a grassroots game, a groundsman explains how Old Spice’s Sport Power antiperspirant won’t make a shot go in – indeed, we witness a comically catastrophic penalty – but tells us it will “make you smell like it went in”. This is illustrated by the ref creepily sniffing our hero’s armpit and awarding a goal, to everyone’s confusion. A cat, a baby and a horse are among the celebrants.
Is the message that even though England now can’t win the World Cup, we can simply smell nice and pretend?
Either way, a second ad, set at a festival, sees our man escape a strange situation by ‘smelling like’ he’s found the correct tent. It barely makes sense, but we do get a mention of the scent – “bergamot and lavender”, apparently – and the general message about confidence comes through well enough.
As the brand points out: “Smell goes a loooong way.”
No comments yet