#creativetv

Old Spice The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Old Spice recently released a TV commercial entitled "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like."  The commercial features a man who has just stepped out of the shower, who is then on a boat, who is then on a beach on top of a horse.  While the scenery is constantly changing, the man is addressing women telling them how their man could be like him.  The moral: get your man to use old spice and he can be like the ideal man from this commercial.

Old Spice has effectively addressed a crucial issue when advertising on TV - people have short attention spans.  The key for any advertiser is to make their ad (1) memorable, and (2) effective.  Audiences have become increasingly desensitized to advertisements as they are exposed to hundreds a day.  In this commercial, the changing scenery and the constantly changing topics discussed by the man ("look to your man, back to me, back to your man, now back to me").  The viewer is caught off guard by the pure speed of the commercial (I'll address this later).  By constantly changing the dialogue and the scenery combined with the simple randomness of the commercial, Old Spice has effectively shortened the needed attention span to watch this commercial.

Where's the Beef?

What makes this commercial creative and stand out from the rest?  Does it have complex with video editing? Perhaps, but I would not argue that this makes the commercial effective.  The effectiveness of this commercial lies in the writing, speed, and humor of the commercial. 

Writing

The viewer is captivated by what the man is saying and how he is saying it.  Every word is something that a woman wants from their man (i.e. Tickets to a show, diamonds).  The writing in this commercial is the most important aspect that makes it effective - it dictates every other aspect of the commercial.  The changing scenery in the commercial is due to the writing.  The speed of the commercial is due to the writing.  The humor throughout the commercial is dictated by the writing.

Speed

I talked  earlier about the dilemma of short attention spans and TV.  This commercial effectively hurdles that obstacle with the speed at which the commercial is changing.  The scenery is dynamic, as well as the dialogue.  The viewer cannot afford to turn away from the TV or else they would be lost from the commercial in that split second.  By keeping the commercial fast paced and random, it effectively keeps the viewer glued.

Humor