July 24, 2010
The Old Spice Guy has become the king of Eastern Latvia, according to a recent video posted online as part of the rebranding of the Procter & Gamble men’s product line.
The company’s viral marketing campaign has featured Isaiah Mustafa, an actor and former National Football League player, addressing women in an effort to convince them that Old Spice products would make their man smell good. The campaign has aimed for a younger demographic than Old Spice’s traditional customers.
In a July 12 video posted on the Old Spice Guy’s YouTube channel, Mustafa replied to a Twitter message from American comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
“Things have been going great for me,” says Mustafa, who is dressed in a bath towel and crown, and holds a sceptre. “In Eastern Latvia, they love Old Spice Body Wash so much they made me king. Which is great, because I love grapes.”
Ojārs Kalniņš, head of the Latvian Institute, referenced the video in an online commentary noting Latvia’s economic turnaround and the country’s growing popularity. The video had been viewed more than 690,000 times as of July 24.
The entire Old Spice viral campaign has drawn plenty of media attention, including from The New York Times, Great Britain’s Guardian and CNN. However, the campaign of YouTube “responses” has come to an end, according to Social Times and other media.
Andris Straumanis is editor of Latvians Online.
In a video posted on YouTube, actor Isaiah Mustafa as “Old Spice Guy” says he has been made king of Eastern Latvia. (Screen capture from YouTube)
