by Jonathan Haile

Over the last few years Old Spice has developed a reputation for releasing strange advertisements. I use “strange” loosely. They might be that, but they’re also unquestionably entertaining. We have to wonder who is coming up with this stuff in the meetings.

The odd mix of commercials started with the Old Spice Guy, played by former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa, and then turned into spots featuring comic actor Terry Crews. They evolved, yet again, into commercials featuring NFL players like Ray Lewis, Greg Jennings, and Wes Welker. These muscle-bound caricatures added to the winning formula for the company’s commercials: always funny, highly recognizable, and shareable. The Old Spice Whistle is also unmistakeable.

But Old Spice went a different route for the new year. It seems like Old Spice has stepped outside of the box (if it was still even in it). The latest advertisement, a spot showcasing a new line of body sprays, is garnering many differing reactions. Judging from Twitter, some viewers say it’s hilarious, others say it’s creepy, but I would venture to say it’s a bit of both. If you haven’t seen it, check out these mothers’ reaction to the body spray transforming their teenage sons into men in Old Spice: Momsong.

In case you missed it on television, Momsong has over 1150 shares on Facebook and 300 retweets. Like the spots before it, I would say it is highly shareable content. It has been viewed on Youtube over 1 million times, but with site’s lack of constant updating, who is to say it hasn’t been viewed a handful more times?

Public Relations students will also notice that the company’s Facebook and Twitter cover photos are now pictures of mothers looking concerned for their teenage sons, with a new slogan that says, “Spray goodbye to boyhood. Smellcome to manhood.”

What do you think? Is it creepy? Is it funny? Did your mom react the moms in the commercial when you started wearing Old Spice body spray? Or is it simply a successful mix of traditional and social media? Tell us your thoughts.

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