Old Spice just recently tapped Fabio to be the new Old Spice guy. Everyone knows and loves the bumbling Fabio, so it seems the campaign will take a shift in personality and feel. It isn't a new thing. There was an Old Spice Guy before Isaiah Mustafa — a man by the name Bruce Campbell. Each Old Spice Guy represents different qualities a man would display when wooing a woman, or being with his fellow man.
Bruce Campbell as the Old Spice Guy was suave, sophisticated, and smart. Testing his intellect would be insulting. Yet, he was still able to be comical. He just appeared to have all those qualities at once just because he was being himself, so he couldn't quite explain it. Like a brilliant professor, you can tell he knows his stuff, but he is so far in the deep end that breaking it down seems impossible.
The next well-known Old Spice Guy was Isaiah Mustafa, the Internet sensation. This loud, over-the-top, representation of male machismo blew the ad crowd away. Plus, Old Spice's use of social media and answering YouTube questions made 'The Old Spice Guy' extremely popular. Guys wanted to be and smell like him, and girls wanted their guys to be like him, too. Let's be honest; Old Spice picked the right guy to do commercials in a towel, on a horse, on a piano, etc. Men in commercials aren't portrayed as having this much confidence in themselves anymore, so making this campaign ridiculous added a breath of fresh air.
Oh Fabio, how will you add up? What can you bring to the Old Spice table? It remains to be seen. These days, men with long, flowing hair and stumbling English aren't considered to be 'perfect material' anymore (speculation), but his comical flair have that "dumb-but-cute" appearance that women seem to enjoy. Anyway, congrats, Fabio. Let's see how you do.
Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.
Old Spice just recently tapped Fabio to be the new Old Spice guy. Everyone knows and loves the bumbling Fabio, so it seems the campaign will take a shift in personality and feel. It isn't a new thing. There was an Old Spice Guy before Isaiah Mustafa — a man by the name Bruce Campbell. Each Old Spice Guy represents different qualities a man would display when wooing a woman, or being with his fellow man.
