Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Mr. Wolfdog
Old Spice, a cologne from our grandfather's era that is sold in grocery stores was the media and marketing darling a couple years ago with the Old Spice Man -- the man your man could smell like.
It made actor Isaiah Mustafa a household regular...as he ran bare chested through scenario after scenario. Women swooned and men ran to their local grocery or drug store to pick up a bottle of the suddenly cool cologne.
I have to admit, as a marketing guy, I love watching someone rejuvinate a tired, old brand. So i was cheering for Old Spice and looking forward to seeing how they would spin/twist the concept.
Sadly -- they've now launched Mr. Wolfdog. Yes...Mr. Wolfdog.
I get that they're trying to be funny. But really -- marketing and a great viral campaign transformed them to cool in 2010 and now, in this new effort, they're basically calling the general public a fool for falling for it.
Not that Mr. Wolfman hasn't been putting in a lot of effort. He's been a flurry of activity all over the web. As noted in Adweek -- "He's posted YouTube videos; made a Pinterest page, and an album of inspirational business music; hosted Google+ Hangouts with his Twitter followers; posted a toll-free number (866-695-2407) to help those who need to look busy at work; played Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox Live; made animated GIFs; and whipped up websites like worldsbiggestchart.com. In short, he's done everything (and much more) that a marketing director should do in social media—while inherently poking fun at how hollow and rote and mindless it all is."
Is it funny? Yes. Will it got viral? Maybe. Both interesting questions but not the right question. The right question is:
Will it sell more Old Spice?
What made the old campaign so noteable is that it not only entertained us but it changed our opinion about a weary brand and breathed new meaning into it for millions of men who would have never considered wearing the time-tested cologne before The Old Spice man made it sexy to do so.
Don't ever lose sight of the fact that marketing's purpose is to generate sales, either directly or indirectly. Anything short of that is just entertainment. And I fear Mr. Wolfdog is just that.
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