Old Spice: The Emmy your ad could smell like

When we first covered the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign, we closed off the article with these prophetic words: “Let the awards flow.” At the 2010 Emmy Awards, Wieden+Kennedy, the agency responsible for the campaign, took home the Emmy award for Outstanding Commercial.

Earlier this year, the campaign also carried off a prestigious Film Lions Grand Prix at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Jury president, Mark Tutssel, had this to say about the campaign: “As a jury, we are always looking for the big idea. Crafted to perfection. The winning work was a perfect film that woke up an old sleeping brand. The brand felt new, modern, and infectious. It is a game changer for the brand.”

Wieden+Kennedy took home a total of three Grand Prix trophies at the Cannes advertising fest, one for Old Spice in the film category, and the other two for the Nike Lance Armstrong “Chalkbot” campaign in the interactive and integrated fields.

Wieden + Kennedy are no strangers to the category of Outstanding Commericial, having also picked up an Emmy award last year for their Superbowl Coca-Cola Heist commercial.

Jason Bagley and Eric Baldwin, creative directors for Old Spice at Wieden +Kennedy had this to say about their win: “Winning an Emmy is a surreal experience. It’s such a great honour to be recognised by the entertainment industry and encourages our desire to create work that not only sells products, but entertains people.”

But do awards translate to sales? The innovative campaign has so far boosted sales for Procter&Gamble’s Old Spice as a whole by 55% over the first quarter and by 107% in July alone.

The campaign has also had the Midas touch on Old Spice Guy’s career. Ex-NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa has been cast as a CIA agent in the TV series Chuck, and is also playing a leading role in Madea’s Big Happy Family. Most recently Mustafa landed a role in the movie “Horrible Bosses”, playing opposite big names such as Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell.

However, it should be noted that the Emmy award went to the agency for the campaign and not the actor for his portrayal of Old Spice guy.