Prelim. thoughts on the Old Spice Guy (yes, I like him too)

[tsenft]

I do not think it is an accident that a society willing to grant corporations the legal status of individuals is also a society that seeks 'community' with anthropomorphized brands. What the viral success of the Old Spice guy shows us is how deep the desire has been (who knew anything could make Old Spice cool?) and how late advertisers are to the

Comments

[tsenft]

There is probably a mathematical formula that expresses this more elegantly, but Bruce Campbell has the William Shatner/Lynx body product "isn't funny when someone's white Dad acts all sexy vibe", whereas Interactive New Old Spice Guy has that Lebron James/Barack Obama (Honeymoon period for both) American wish fulfillment thing going on. Very different dynamics, I think. Do you?

[tsenft]

Considering that smell is one of the most powerful unconscious functions, and that we ALL probably had Dads who smelled like that at one point in our childhoods , I'm curious as to whether these ads have had the ability to move any actual Old Spice off the shelves, you know?

[yasminke]

Is the 'white trash' girl the one who's received death threats and is being pranked?

As for me, I would just listen to the Old Spice ads. He has an absolutely beautiful voice. That he's not hard on the eyes is a bonus. But I wonder if the fact that he was a sports star has as much to do with his appeal as does his witty delivery and/or colour.

[archon]

did it really make old spice cool? or is it just a funny commercial/concept?

[bennyblanco]

I'm not quite up on the old spice guy, but being a hip hop head, I understand the fantasies being projected upon black male bodies... on a different note, I found the concept of the most interesting man in the world (Dos Equis) to be hilarious... altho it is a very unilateral presentation, and its effort at a more ostensible 'community' (dos equis website) I hear is not that good...