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Content Strategy Analysis: Old Spice Viral Campaign

By Jason Moriber • Jul 23rd, 2010 • Category: Analysis

I’m not going to (yet) judge the Old Spice Viral campaign (no, I didn’t say Social Media campaign). We should revisit this campaign in three months and see what the residual effects are, then again in six months.

What I do think we can do now is define the type of content strategy they utilized to engage with their audience. You can then compare this approach to your own content strategy (marketing messages, communications) and see whether you want to make changes to your own strategy or keep on your current path.

The Old Spice campaign utilized two different strategies, both seeking to obtain “Spectacular Magnetism” (you can’t help but be attracted to the event).

Old Spice Graph

The first series of television ads sought to attract the widest possible audience through its spectacle and strong character. The second series of web-videos aimed to engage a mix of users, from popular online peeps to “fans” who wrote in their notes. The second series also shifted away from reaching the largest possible audience through what we call “Dropping Leaflets” (general messages that entice) and moved towards “Parsing Pinheads” (engaging smaller audiences with specific messages). The second campaign also emphasized greater “Activity Resonation” (current, time-sensitive, messages meant to resonate with an immediate audience).

We’ll see what the next line of engagement will be. Following this progress, from our perspective, we hope they go more social and move down the matrix towards more Activity Resonation, seeking to connect with specific users who are interested in their products.

In the meantime, use this matrix as a guide for your own strategy. If you’re open to it, we’d like to post your content strategy analysis of the Old Spice campaign, your campaign, or others that interest you. Let us know either by sending us an email to info@wiseelephant.com or posting a comment below.

Thanks!

Jason Moriber is a veteran product/project/marketing manager, underground artist/musician, and online community developer, Jason expertly builds/produces/manages clients' projects, programs, and campaigns. Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/jelefant
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2 Responses »

  1. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rosh Sillars and jason moriber, wiseelephant. wiseelephant said: Content Strategy Analysis: Old Spice Viral Campaign http://bit.ly/cXwuCa [...]

  2. Well activity resonation won’t work with women from my experience. When a girl I was dating house sat for a family, I used his Old Spice shaving cream. She told me if I wanted to go out with her ever again I would wash the stink off my face immediately.

    It’s still is a scent associated with old. I can’t help but think that the campaign would have worked better for a new brand. There’s just nothing modern, metro, or cool associated with it in my mind prior to the campaign.

    The next move I think will be to try and get a broad variety of consumers to personalize the brand. “I’m an Old Spice, and my wife thinks it’s sexy” kind of stuff.

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