Two way dialogue between the brand and consumers

“Old Spice, a decidedly old-school Procter & Gamble brand, unleashed a social media blitz so profoundly brilliant that it not only changed the rules of social network marketing, it may have written them for the first time” (Reiss, 2010). The old spice commercial brand revolutionised the social media scene transforming the brand right before the customer’s eyes. Using comedic marketing techniques together with a ‘shirtless, magnetic presence of actor Isaiah Mustafa’, we get a sense of the overwhelming presence of sex appeal, from the ‘former NFL wide receiver who goes big--very big--here’. Mustafa’s opening tagline which captivates listeners from the very get go. “Hello, ladies,” he thunders. “Look at your man. Now back at me. Now back at your man. Now back to me” (Lippert, 2010).

Since social media has come onto the scene, big named brands have been trying to get in the limelight. They do this because Social media is an important aspect of any brand. According to HubSpot, “social media produces almost double the marketing leads of traditional outbound methods” (Edgecomb, 2013). But how does this connect to two-way conversation? Well Old Spice created the lead by broadcasting a very interesting and captivatingly funny television commercial, which then people took to social media to talk about. Old Spice used this opportunity to further communicate their brand. They did this by taking to Youtube with personalised video’s for consumers and also posting funny comments on Twitter (See Appendix 1.1).

In the first three months of 2010 Old Spice captured 75% of all conversations about the product. Half of this Buzz was generated by women. So from this the Response Campaign was born. In two and a half days a team of developers and producers and creative geniuses created 186 video responses to fans and celebrities about questions on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and more. “On social media, the “Responses” campaign was deployed mainly through Twitter and YouTube and delivered customized tailored content in a flash” (Top Ad Campaign of the 21st Century, 2015). These videos were then posted on Youtube sparking a social-media sensation that spread through thousands of people. On one day alone the campaign received 5.9 million Youtube views, after a week that rose to over 40 million views.

“Unlike a one-way conversation, where companies dominate the conversation and don't really engage, a two way conversation allows companies to interact and engage with consumers in a direct and responsive way” (Edgecomb, 2013). It’s not all about forcing your message onto the public, Old Spice new this and took comfort in knowing that their product was seen as ‘Cool’, and ‘Funny’. The once traditional aftershave brand label with ties to grandparents was reinvigorated into their new body wash product. Old Spice was marketed to the ‘average Joe’, they wanted to have a conversation with their customers says Paula Borowska. ‘Old Spice wanted to create a relationship, which the value of is irreplaceable’. (Borowska, 2013). In the commercials, the Old Spice Man would ask the audience for requests, revealing that they cared for their customers. This contributed to the overall success and the viral status of the commercial. Within the first six months of ‘the man your man could smell like’, sales increased 27%. The commercial itself made over 1.4 billion impressions (Borowska, 2013). Alternatively online Old Spice's Facebook page has gotten more than 7,000 comments (and 13,000 or so "likes"). Look again, at YouTube, where it's been viewed more than 3 million times” (Lippert, 2010).

For two-way communication to work over the internet the company needs to first direct 80% of communication towards adding value, and brand building. ‘Examples of these include, sharing news, ideas, educating and creating delightful content. The other 20% of communication should be focused on endorsing products and upcoming events’ (Edgecomb, 2013). This in-turn makes the company more personal and actually embodies the company's culture onto the public.

References:

Lippert, B 2010, 'Man, This Man Can Sell', Brandweek, vol. 51, no. 9, p. 20

Edgecomb, C 2013, ‘Social Media Marketing: The importance of two way conversation’, Impact, https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/social-media-marketing-the-importance-of-a-two-way-conversation

'Top Ad Campaign of the 21st Century', 2015, Advertising Age, vol. 86, no. 1, p. 0018.

Borowska, P 2013, ‘What can Old Spice teach us about effective marketing?’, Viral Marketing, Creative Guerrilla Marketing, http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/viral-marketing/can-old-spice-teach-us-effective-marketing/