Brand Week's Marketer of the Year...A Commentary

Photograph by Tim Llewellyn

Give it to P&G. If Brandweek’s Marketer of the Year, James Moorhead is any indication, they pick their brand managers to BE the brand. Holding aloft a shining can of Old Spice Body Wash Mr. Moorhead is the embodiment of the brand. And that personification of the product and brand is exactly what Mr. Moorhead did, featuring former NFL player, Isaiah Mustafa in self-deprecating spots that poke fun at our beloved world of advertising and do it in a way that is pure brain candy.

Let’s face it, the spots are genius. Doesn’t matter how many times you see them, you have to keep watching. It’s like we’re tuned in to that face-paced, action-packed world of mega-plots on Hydroxycut and we can’t avert our eyes. And the brand’s there too – loud and clear.

What really matters is that sales of the product line picked up 30%. That’s serious results.

Creative and strategic genius aside, there’s still something missing on the media side – the campaign misses the mark on new media. Where’s the Old Spice dude as the personification of the brand on Facebook? Why can’t we follow him and all his Old Spice inspired conquests? What about Twitter? Foursqure? Why would I want to follow ‘Old Spice’ the brand when I could follow The Old Spice stud? Call me a stalker, it won’t be the first time I’ve heard that.

Is it just me or do the big ad and brand rags pretty much not cover true media synergy – the promise of convergence media, where a rock solid campaign like Old Spice’s follows me across the media spectrum and does so with surprise, humor and delight.

For more on this check it out on Brandweek here:

http://www.brandweekmoy.com/2010/09/grand-marketer-of-the-year-2010-james-moorhead-old-spice.html