Strategy March 23, 2018
Old Spice Offers Scented Paper Blazer to GQ Subscribers
Though it’s known for its almost surreal ad campaigns – who can forget that shirtless guy on a horse? – Old Spice understands that the best way to get men interested in its distinctive products is to give them a whiff. But instead of settling for the typical scented strip inserted into a magazine, the brand got creative: Inside this month’s GQ, readers will find a red paper blazer awash with the smell of Old Spice Captain. Just unfold it, and it’s ready to wear.
“This disposable paper blazer will be seen on the backs of influencers and fashionistas alike, but let’s not forget our regular guy,” the company said in a statement. “With this paper blazer, everyone gets to live the luxurious life of Old Spice Captain. Smell the smells, live the life, don’t go out in the rain because you will likely get paper machéd.”
.@OldSpice takes the smelly ad thing to a whole new level--in the form of a paper blazer. https://t.co/h2yKqjpggl pic.twitter.com/9iyk5iKDLU
— Ad Age (@adage) March 23, 2018
The throwaway blazer is part of a larger campaign gently mocking typical fragrance ads to promote Old Spice’s new Red Collection of “premium scents.” Another advertising push involved an entirely French-language commercial that aired during the Grammy Awards.
In January, Janine Miletic, Old Spice brand director at Proctor & Gamble, explained the reasoning behind the fragrance ad parodies. “We have some of the world’s most renowned perfumers on our team, as evidenced by the new Red Collection,” she told Ad Week. “Old Spice is poking fun at some tropes found in cologne ads and shattering the belief that premium scents only come in fancy bottles with fancy price tags from fancy fragrance houses in France.”
So far, GQ subscribers have been responding positively to Old Spice’s latest stunt, posting photos of the paper blazer on social media.
Wieden + Kennedy, the company behind Old Spice advertising campaigns, appears to be on the top of its game this year. Consider another recent promotion: the “Sweat Mop Boys,” who cleaned the floor at a January college basketball game in Seattle using mops designed to look like sticks of Old Spice deodorant.