Old Spice Guy: Isaiah Mustafa Gives Obama Some Advice

by Jordan Yerman | July 15, 2010 at 09:27 am

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Isaiah Mustafa (Old Spice Guy) Posts Video for Obama

The Old Spice Guy meme continues to build steam. First came the TV ads ("the tickets are now diamonds!"), then the targeted videos for prominent and up-and-coming bloggers.

Old Spice Guy Video Messages: Roses For Alyssa Milano And More

Now, the Old Spice Guy has some advice for US President Barack Obama.

Isaiah Mustafa's main points for the Commander-in-Chief:

Obama should only be seen wearing a towel
Obama should begin his State of the Union address with "Hellooooo, ladies" instead of "My fellow Americans".
End key speeches with a "presidential ab point."

The Old Spice guy is the creation of Wieden + Kennedy, the creative agency hired to manage Old Spice's multimedia campaign. This is, so far, one of the most successful ad campaigns to hit the web, because it introduces a character that's entertaining in his own right, promoting the brand by association. Wieden + Kennedy did more than just push out a bunch of ads: they got us to want to talk about those ads. That is a social media campaign.

There is an element of luck, though: one never knows if a character will be embraced without irony: Flo (from those online insurance ads) has detractors as well as fans, and the "I'm a Mac" guy is most often talked about for his smugness.

As for Isaiah Mustafa's Old Spice Guy character, we'll soon find out where those involved in the campaign see the jump-the-shark barrier: how much is too much?