Lance Carson
Old Spice is a classic American fragrance that has been around since 1938. Originally targeted towards women, it transitioned into a men's fragrance brand in the 1970s and has since become a multi-generational staple in men's grooming. With a range of products including colognes, aftershaves, deodorants, and shower gels, Old Spice has cemented itself as an iconic brand. Despite some changes in ownership and updates to its scent, the fragrance remains a popular and well-regarded option for many.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Launch Year | 1937 |
| Manufacturer | Shulton Inc. |
| Current Owner | Procter & Gamble |
| Target Audience | Men |
| Type | Oriental fragrance family |
| Notes | Spicy amber, citrus, blood orange, anise, nutmeg, carnations, jasmine, cinnamon, cedar, amber resin, vanilla |
| Variants | Eau de toilette, aftershave, cologne, deodorant, body wash, body spray, shower gel |
| Awards | FHM magazine's 2006 Grooming Award for Best Sporty Fragrance |
| Marketing | Aggressive marketing campaigns with celebrity endorsements |
| Perception | Positive feedback, tasteful, elegant, mature |
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What You'll Learn
Old Spice's marketing strategy
Old Spice, a male-specific hygiene company owned by Procter & Gamble, has been synonymous with men's grooming products for decades. However, by the early 2000s, the brand was struggling to maintain relevance among modern consumers. The company faced several challenges that threatened its market position in the ever-evolving grooming industry, including a perception among consumers that the brand and its offerings were old-fashioned.
To address these issues, Old Spice enlisted the help of the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy in 2008. The goal was to create a marketing campaign that would resonate with modern consumers and transform the brand's image. The result was the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign, which was launched during the Super Bowl weekend in February 2010. The campaign focused on pull marketing rather than pushing, creating snappy content and delivering on a promise to interact with customers. It was targeted at environments and channels where couples were likely to watch the advertisement together, as research showed that women made 60% of all body wash purchases and influenced men's decisions. The campaign was a massive success, racking up 220,000 views on YouTube in the few hours after the Super Bowl and continuing to climb at 100,000 views every few hours.
Months later, Wieden+Kennedy launched a series of videos where the Old Spice man, Isaiah Mustafa, answered Twitter questions from individual users. In 48 hours, Mustafa published 168 videos of around a minute each, addressing everyone from anonymous askers to Ellen DeGeneres by name, with the same signature baritone and wacky props that made the original ads so memorable. This strategy of focusing on quantity over production value allowed Old Spice to spread its message far and wide. The campaign ran for six months, and by the end of it, Old Spice had made over 1.4 billion impressions, a 300% increase in web traffic, and became the best-selling men's body wash brand in the country.
The key to Old Spice's rise was also its unique marketing strategy of never specifically talking about the scent. In the first half of the 20th century, perfume was considered strictly for women, and positioning Old Spice as a fragrance might have been bad for business. Instead, Old Spice sales campaigns focused on the idea of a clean post-shave feeling, with ads that were all about being "brisk and manly".
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Old Spice's scent
Old Spice is an American fragrance that was first launched in 1937 as a woman's scent called Early American Old Spice. It was inspired by the founder's mother's potpourri and colonial American-style furniture. The men's fragrance was released at the end of 1937.
Old Spice is an Oriental fragrance with spicy amber providing a deep, nostalgic foundation to its invigoratingly fresh and citrus notes. It has a heavy alcohol content, with a fresh burst of blood orange and spices on application, reminiscent of mulled wine. The head is notably citric, but the hints of anise and nutmeg provide depth to the fragrance. The citrus fades, leading to a surprisingly floral heart with discernable notes of carnations and jasmine. These linger until they are replaced by dry cinnamon notes. The cinnamon then evaporates, making way for fresh cedar notes and a deep, powdery amber resin. The celebrated musky base notes are what remain of the fragrance.
The original Old Spice scent has been described as lighter, subtler, and fresher than expected. It is a delicate fragrance for a classic masculine cologne, with faint notes of resin and vanilla projecting later in the day, even when the wearer thinks the fragrance has expired.
Old Spice has been a staple fragrance for generations of American men, with the slogan: "If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist." It is a surprisingly resilient aftershave, with positive feedback from both sexes of all ages. It is considered a tasteful and elegant men's cologne, despite its modest price tag, and is suitable for both daily use and formal occasions.
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Old Spice's history
Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products, including aftershaves, deodorants, shampoos, and body washes. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990. However, Old Spice was first introduced in 1937 by the Shulton Company, founded by William Lightfoot Schultz. Interestingly, the original Old Spice product was not intended for men but was instead a fragrance for women called “Early American Old Spice." The fragrance was inspired by Schultz's mother's potpourri and aimed to capture the essence of colonial times, with its packaging featuring colonial sailing ships.
Following the modest success of the women's fragrance, the Shulton Company launched Old Spice for Men in 1938. The brand's marketing campaigns played a crucial role in its success, positioning it as a symbol of masculinity and cleanliness. Notably, the ads avoided explicitly mentioning the scent, as perfume was associated primarily with women during that time. Instead, they emphasised the feeling of a clean post-shave, appealing to the emerging image of the corporate man as beardless.
In the 1970s, Old Spice underwent a transition, shifting from a shaving brand to a fragrance brand with the introduction of signature scents like Old Spice Burley. This change distanced the brand from its shaving heritage and marked the beginning of its focus on expanding its product range.
In the late 2000s, Old Spice initiated a significant rebranding campaign to appeal to a younger demographic. The brand employed humour and absurdity in its viral marketing campaigns, with the most notable being “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like," launched in 2010 and featuring actor Isaiah Mustafa. This campaign was a massive success, boosting Old Spice sales and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
Old Spice has continued to innovate and expand its product offerings, including introducing new fragrances, hair care products, and various forms of deodorant, body washes, and body sprays. The brand has also sponsored cars in NASCAR races from 2004 to 2010 and collaborated with celebrities and athletes, such as NFL players, in its advertising campaigns.
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Old Spice's product range
Old Spice is an American brand offering male grooming products, including aftershaves, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, shaving cream, and soaps. The brand was first launched in 1937 as a women's product line, with a men's range released before Christmas of the same year.
Over the years, Old Spice has expanded its product line to include a wide range of fragrances and personal care items. The brand's signature scent, Old Spice Burley, was introduced in the 1970s, marking the brand's shift from a shaving focus to fragrances. In 2006, Old Spice launched OS Signature, which won FHM magazine's Grooming Award for Best Sporty Fragrance. The Old Spice Red Zone collection, introduced in 2014, includes a "Scratch-and-Sniff" version of the signature fragrance.
Old Spice continues to innovate with new fragrances and product ranges, such as the Hardest Working Collection in 2016, featuring the brand character, the Legendary Man. The brand has also expanded into men's hair care, offering shampoos, two-in-one shampoo and conditioners, and styling products.
Old Spice's deodorant range includes various scents and formats, such as sticks, sprays, and creams. Some notable deodorant scents include Gentleman's Blend with Eucalyptus and Coconut Oil, Vanilla Shea Butter, and the popular Fiji with Palm Tree. The brand also offers aluminium-free options, such as the High Endurance Pure Sport deodorant.
In addition to deodorants, Old Spice provides a selection of body washes and lotions. The Super Hydration Body Wash, for example, features the Gentleman's Blend of Vanilla and Shea. Old Spice also offers a hand, face, and body lotion with lightweight moisturization and a range of scents, including the Captain Scent of Bergamot and the Swagger Scent of Cedarwood.
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Old Spice's reviews
Old Spice is a classic American fragrance that has been around since 1938. It was first launched as "Early American Old Spice" by William Lightfoot Schultz's soap and toiletries company, Shulton Inc. in 1937. The first Old Spice product was a woman's scent, with a men's product released before Christmas that same year. In the 80 years since its invention, Old Spice has become an iconic brand, with its slogan "If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist."
Reviews of Old Spice are generally positive, with many people finding it to be a fresh and subtle fragrance. One reviewer noted that the fragrance made them feel "pretty damn fresh" and that it was not about how they smelled, but how they felt. Another reviewer described the fragrance as "lighter, subtler, and, yes, fresher" than they remembered.
Some enthusiasts have complained about Proctor & Gamble's reformulation of the fragrance since their takeover in 1990. The original fragrance, manufactured by Shulton Inc., was replaced with Old Spice Classic in the USA, which some say lacks the depth of the original. However, one reviewer who purchased the original fragrance in France and manufactured in the UK noted no majorly noticeable difference from historical versions.
Old Spice has been described as an "exemplary specimen of the Oriental fragrance family." It combines spicy amber with fresh and citrus notes, creating a deep and nostalgic foundation. The fragrance has a heavy alcohol content, with a fresh burst of blood orange and spices on application, reminiscent of mulled wine. The head is notably citric, with hints of anise and nutmeg providing depth. The citrus fades, leading to a surprisingly floral heart with discernable notes of carnations and jasmine. The base notes are musky, with dry cinnamon that introduces fresh cedar and a deep, powdery amber resin.
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Frequently asked questions
Old Spice is a good fragrance if you are seeking a classic, nostalgic scent. It is a spicy amber fragrance with fresh and citrus notes, including blood orange, anise, nutmeg, and carnations. The scent is a staple of generations of American men, and while it may be considered by some to be a bit old-fashioned, it is still a good fragrance.
Old Spice is a spicy amber fragrance with a deep, nostalgic foundation and invigoratingly fresh and citrus notes. It has a heavy alcohol content as it is an aftershave, with a fresh burst of blood orange and spices on application, reminiscent of mulled wine. The fragrance is surprisingly delicate for a classic masculine cologne.
Old Spice is a popular fragrance, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from both sexes of all ages. It is a tasteful and elegant men’s cologne despite the modest price tag and is considered a mature fragrance due to its association with older generations.
Old Spice was launched as Early American Old Spice by William Lightfoot Schultz's soap and toiletries company, Shulton Inc., in 1937. It was first targeted at women, with a men's product released before Christmas 1937. In 1990, Procter & Gamble bought the brand from the Shulton Company. Old Spice has since expanded its product lineup to include deodorants, body washes, body sprays, shampoos, and styling products.
