Line #67 Advertising/TheManYourManCouldSmellLike


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/old_spice_8889.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[MemeticMutation He's on a horse. Backwards.]]]]
3
4	->''"Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I'm on a horse."''
5	-->--'''Creator/IsaiahMustafa, the Old Spice Man'''
6
7	''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Hello, tropers. Look at your trope, now back to my trope, now back at your trope, ]]'''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere now back to mine]]'''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere . Sadly, your trope isn't like my trope. But if you read this description, it could be described like it's my trope. Look down, back up, where are you? You're on TV Tropes, with the trope your trope could be described like.]]''
8
9	''The Man Your Man Could Smell Like'' is a 2010 ad campaign for Old Spice-brand male hygiene products starring ex-NFL player Isaiah Mustafa. It started with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE a single commercial]] in which Mustafa (a.k.a. Old Spice Man) describes everything that would be possible if the [[EstrogenBrigade target audience's]] man stopped using lady-scented bodywash, and the video quickly [[MemeticMutation went viral]].
10
11	The success of the first commercial paved the way for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE a second,]] which proved to be just as popular. Two weeks later, Wieden Kennedy boldly went where no advertising agency had gone before and filmed dozens of short, improvised scenes of Mustafa giving personal responses to everyone (from Ellen [=DeGeneres=] to [[Website/FourChan Anonymous]]) who had commented on the new Old Spice ads via social network. Almost 200 video responses in total were uploaded to Website/YouTube between July 12 and 14, 2010, all of which can be viewed on [[https://www.youtube.com/user/oldspice Old Spice's YouTube channel.]] For Superbowl 2011, Mustafa starred in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkHlCiWRCA another one.]] And another one. And another one.
12
13	[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykCExCla1tE&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP65C7BDF782A4DAC7 A challenge was issued and accepted]] in July of 2011, when a long-haired European named Fabio (yes, ''[[RomanceCoverScene that]]'' [[RomanceCoverScene Fabio]]) declared himself the new Old Spice Man. Mustafa and Fabio responded to questions on Facebook and [=YouTube=] in shorts similar to the video response campaign the year before, with viewers invited to vote for who should be the real Old Spice Man. Mustafa won, but immediately announced that he would be taking a vacation. In the interim, the Old Spice Man role was filled by various NFL players, and more notably, by the addition of Creator/TerryCrews as a much [[NoIndoorVoice louder]], [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} nuttier]], [[AwesomenessIsVolatile more explosive]], and most importantly, more '''''[[TestosteronePoisoning POWERFUL]]''''' Old Spice Man.
14
15	For the 2011 holiday season, the classic Old Spice Man [[http://youtu.be/RXPrkOuy8r8 returned with a promise]] to give gifts to all of Earth's 7 billion inhabitants. He returned again in August 2015 to advertise the Timber and Swagger product lines... and [[https://youtu.be/y_hWeN249fs?list=PLoF_PWSjd6xUhLw-Ca4CaWo5vRAlCfggE wound up paired with Terry Crews's POWERFUL Old Spice Man]] advertising the Bearglove line- and in each ad they fought over which one people should use.
16
17	In the commercials, Mustafa recites his monologue in DramaticDeadpan during a single [[TheOner long take]] with [[PracticalEffects lots of props]] and minimal {{CGI}}. While arbitrary costume changes and changes of scenery are the hallmarks of the televised commercials, the [=YouTube=] video responses were all simply Mustafa standing in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_urLWG7kQ7E bathroom]] [[WalkingShirtlessScene shirtless]] and in a [[ModestyTowel white towel]] with several recycled props.
18
19	Old Spice's [=YouTube=] channel is both the #1 most subscribed and the #1 most viewed sponsor channel of all time, and the video responses gleaned a higher viewership in their first 24 hours than UsefulNotes/BarackObama's victory speech. Sales of Old Spice Red Zone After Hours bodywash (the specific product the commercials advertise) have dropped 7% since it debuted; however, Old Spice product sales in ''general'' have shot up more than 170% since the debut of ''The Man Your Man Could Smell Like''. The style of the commercial has also become the brand's identity, with many commercials following in the same general style and their product labels also echoing it ([[https://external-preview.redd.it/p0G6LfEBgQ89p0r5g4qWuvh8ECYKldUcpLTqu1MgefU.jpg?auto=webp&s=b42a11f645f10772fa57433fd171e6a9e74cd539 here's one such example]]). Thus it's a highly unusual case of WhatWereTheySellingAgain meeting Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad.
20
21	Mustafa returned on January 22, 2020, with a new series of commercials, "Smell Like Your Own Man, Man", introducing his character's son, who is more to-the-point than him.
22
23	The popularity and acclaim of the commercials have even garnered Isaiah Mustafa an award for them and enabled him to break into acting in a number of roles ranging from cameos to supporting parts in film and television.
24
25	----
26	!!These tropes are now ''diamonds''!
27
28	* TheAce: Isaiah. You could smell like TheAce, provided you use Old Spice Body Wash and not something lady-scented.
29	%% Affectionate Parodies now on the trivia page
30	* AchillesHeel: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx_-IawEknc&feature=player_embedded Small-sized weights.]] It causes his muscle groups [[PuffOfLogic tremendous confusion as to why such small weights would exist]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6e6FGPYbEs&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_17686 Oh wait guys]], he was only joking. Old Spice Guy has no weakness!
31	* AdamWesting: You know how Fabio looks like every parody of a romance novel cover model ever? Well, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabio_Lanzoni he's the guy]]'' such parodies are making fun of, and thus he is very much spoofing himself.
32	* AIIsACrapshoot: Jimmy the computer tells you that if you wear the new Old Spice body spray you will be successful with ladies and in your life until the year 2038 when him and his computer friends will take over the world.
33	* AlterEgoActing: Isaiah Mustafa[=/=]The Old Spice Man. During the height of this ad's popularity, it was quite a thing to compare the former's relaxed, humble twitter feed with the latter's [[LargeHam hammy goodness]].
34	* AlwaysMale: Users of Old Spice bodywash and deodorant can only be men. Apparently attempts by women to use these products results in them [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4eJU2qh3E0 acquiring male secondary sex characteristics.]]
35	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoiFt6Hr0cE How the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSi_mLOG3Tc 2020 commercials]] are framed, with Mustafa being said parent.
36	* ArousedByTheirVoice: Isaiah Mustafa's deadpan voice intentionally has this effect. He says that [[BuffySpeak the science people]] explain it as tiny vibrating sound hands massaging your ears.
37	* AwesomenessIsVolatile: Terry Crews tends to burst through things or have stuff randomly explode while he pitches his product.
38	* BlessedWithSuck: In the Pure Sport soap commercial, a man is taking a shower while driving a car, during surgery, and even in a restaurant, all for carrying said bar soap with him. [[MundaneSolution The solution to the fairly serious problem?]] Never leave your house again!
39	* BorrowedCatchphrase: Terry once started a commercial in a towel mimicking Isaiah's smooth, "Hello, ladies..." before ripping off the towel to be in his usual shorts and angrily shouting, "IS WHAT A '''DUMMY''' WOULD SAY!"
40	* BreakoutCharacter: Isaiah's got some movie deals, thanks to this campaign.
41	* BreathlessNonSequitur:
42	** One reason the commercials' humor is so popular. '''SILVER-FISH HAND-CATCH.'''
43	** His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWCVhGzrAT0 response to Anonymous]] crams one of these between every sentence, referencing the pictures in an {{ImageBoard\|s}} thread.
44	** Terry Crews' ads are more of this squeezed into 30 seconds.
45	* BuffySpeak: Prevalent in the Website/{{YouTube}} responses, where he will refer to people by terms like "smart computer-type person".
46	* BulletProofFashionPlate: Old Spice Man apparently had all of his tattoos bitten off by sharks and a whole arm replaced with the muscle tissue of a vicious animal, and yet he's still one ridiculously handsome man.
47	* ButNowIMustGo: At the end of Mano a Mano en el Baño, Mustafa says, "I must go, for now."
48	* CaptainObvious: "I'm on a horse."
49	* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: Changing pants in the time it takes for a hot tub to fall apart.
50	* CharacterCatchphrase:
51	** Isaiah's "Hello, ladies!" as part of him being TheCharmer.
52	** Terry Crews' shouts "POWER!" as he visually unfurls exactly ''how'' powerful Old Spice is.
53	** Lampshaded in one of their dueling ads.
54	--->'''Terry:''' HEY! THIS ''MY'' COMMERCIAL!\
55	'''Isaiah:''' I'd like to agree with you, but then why are we... '''on a horse?'''\
56	'''Terry:''' OH NO! ''HIS SIGNATURE JOOOOOKE!'' ''[explodes]''
57	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: While both Mustafa and Crews play [[LargeHam hammy]] RatedMForManly {{Reality Warper}}s, the former is a suave, cool charmer, while the latter is pretty much a NoIndoorVoice caricature of TestosteronePoisoning gifted with ToonPhysics.
58	* CoolBike: In a ''hot tub''.
59	* CoolBoat: With a ''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot jet-ski lion]]''.
60	* CoolHorse: Ridden ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpUrz9RvuPk backwards]]''.
61	* CrazyPrepared: Terry Crews' Man Hunt commercial features his using multiple dummies of himself to evade scientists who want to capture him to study his manliness.
62	* DenserAndWackier: Terry Crews, compared to Isaiah Mustafah. Both speak in non-sequiturs and are overtly literal. However, the latter is presented as the ideal man, whereas the former is a CloudCuckoolander with NoIndoorVoice.
63	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: See WackyMarriageProposal below.
64	-->'''Isaiah:''' I'd be honored to honorably honor your honorable request.
65	* DontTryThisAtHome: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgaYFiw_1K4 here]]:
66	-->'''Isaiah:''' The Old Spice lawyers would like me to tell you not to try this, because you will most likely become dead.
67	* DramaticDeadpan: Isaiah says everything whether he is in some sort of peril or absurd situation with the same cool, deadpan tone.
68	* {{Dualvertisement}}:
69	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqoc6wTNotI The last video]] in the [=YouTube=] response batch was ''[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial in no way]]'' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial actually an advertisement]] for the Gillette Power-Glide... [[AndThatWouldBeWrong that would be in poor taste]].
70	** A couple of Terry Crews' ads had him invading commercials for other P&G products:
71	*** A SuperBowlSpecial includes a commercial that starts as an ad for a Bounce dry cleaner stick-on bar, when Terry bursts through the wall on a jet-ski, proclaiming that Old Spice is so powerful, "it can sell itself in other people's commercials!"
72	*** Another ad has him invading a Charmin Freshmates bathroom wipe commercial; here, his head bursts out of the Freshmates container and he shouts "Old Spice body spray is too powerful to stay in its' own commercial!" And then three arms (?) burst out of the bathroom wall spraying Old Spice cans.
73	*** The 2018 Superbowl saw [[https://www.thewrap.com/tide-old-space-david-harbour-procter-gamble-super-bowl/ the surprise return of The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,]] horseback and all, only to reveal that it was really an ad for Tide.[[note]]Tide's ad campaign for the game claimed that any ad containing clean clothes was really an ad for them and interrupted what seemed like classic commercials to say nope, it's really a Tide ad.[[/note]]
74	* EarthShatteringKaboom: What will happen if the Old Spice Man [[AwesomenessIsVolatile battles with anything]] [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny as awesome as he is]].
75	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: If you're a man and you feel attracted to another man, you might be gay. If you're a man and you feel attracted to the Old Spice Man, you're only human.
76	* FinishingMove: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcx_xwxoh9k&annotation_id=annotation_604486&feature=iva FUTURE TENNIS SLAM!]]
77	* GetTheSensation: We're given an extensive laundry list of everything that becomes possible when men use Old Spice bodywash... with the exception of washing their bodies.
78	%% * GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
79	* {{Hammerspace}}: From which Mustafa can withdraw Old Spice bodywash, freshwater fish, expensive magnifying glasses, and everything in between.
80	** Terry has this within his very own body, as the "Muscle Surprise" website demonstrates. He has multiple tiny versions of himself- and his tiger buddy- inside him.
81	* HesBack: After a three-year absence, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_hWeN249fs and now he's battling Terry Crews.]]
82	* HighClassGlass: Monocle smile!
83	* TheHighQueen: Ellen [=DeGeneres=] (a.k.a. Grand Princess Queen of All Who Are Pleasant, Syndicated, and Prone to Spontaneous Dance Movements) was crowned by the king of Ellenopia, below.
84	* IncomingHam: During the first commercial in the Isaiah vs Terry campaign just when it looks like Old Spice is back to using Isaiah as their front man midway though the commercial Terry pulls this off as his trademark yell is faintly heard and rapidly increases before bursting out of the lake Isaiah is boating on.
85	-->'''Terry:''' '''''AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!''''' ''GUESS WHO!?''\
86	'''Isaiah:''' It's ''you!''\
87	'''Terry:''' IT'S MEEE!!! GOOD-BYE!!!
88	* InTheStyleOf: The WebComic/CriticalMiss webcomic featured a [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/8909-Spice-Effect parody]] as conducted by Garrus Vakarian from ''Franchise/MassEffect''.
89	* IWasToldThereWouldBeCake: Ladies, buy your man Old Spice bodywash and he ''will'' bake you cake.
90	* LargeHam:
91	** Mustafa, "THE MAN ''YOUR'' MAN COULD SMELL LIKE" is a true god of advertisement hamming.
92	** Terry Crews, compared to Mustafa, is significantly weirder.
93	* MadeOfIron: There is apparently nothing that an Old Spice man can't survive. For instance, his preferred method of applying Old Spice bodywash is a live wolverine, though pufferfish and hand grenades work as well.
94	* {{Metaphorgotten}}: The PerezHilton [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ive3vXv-XRk&NR=1 response.]]
95	* MindScrew:
96	** He jumps off a waterfall into a hot tub which ''explodes'', revealing '''a motorbike'''.
97	** He himself replies to himself.
98	** Diving off a mountain peak into a sea of water, swimming down, and surfacing on a piano inside an apartment building.
99	* ModestyTowel: Old Spice Man does community service in a towel.
100	* MrFanservice: Mustafa is a handsome man. So are all other Old Spice men, and you could be too if you used Old Spice bodywash (and didn't smell like a lady).
101	* NoIndoorVoice: Terry Crews. At least every other line is at ''THE TOP OF HIS LUUUUUNGS''!
102	* NoodleIncident: The Old Spice Man [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGZpRC7Mnb4 did something on the planet Neptune with his left bicep in the spring of 2007]].
103	* OhCrap: Terry has one when he tries to hijack Isaiah's commercial, only to be owned by Isaiah's "I'm on a horse" SignatureLine.
104	--> '''Terry:''' OH NO! HIS SIGNATURE JOOOOOOOOOOOOOKE!! ''(boom)''
105	* TheOner: From shower to boat to horseback in one continuous shot (with some computer trickery to insert a fountain of diamonds).
106	* PantheraAwesome: Their milk has healing properties, according to the Old Spice Guy.
107	** Terry has a talking tiger buddy of his who's shown up a few times.
108	* PecFlex: Terry often has his pecs dancing as he gives a long shout.
109	* PermaStubble: Grown to keep you looking at Mustafa's face and not [[MyEyesAreUpHere his abs]].
110	* RasputinianDeath: Well, more like Rasputinian Kidnapping. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkqmHllC1s&feature=player_embedded Needless to say,]] [[spoiler:Old Spice Guy escapes.]]
111	* RatedMForManly: Mustafa is so manly that when he clears his throat, it sounds like a chainsaw being revved.
112	* ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud: Mustafa does this habitually in his [=YouTube=] responses, resulting in lines like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXrdpMLrEYY "L O L exclamation exclamation exclamation exclamation"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx39t_EikbI "Disappointed mouth emoticon."]]
113	* RealityWarper: It comes with being the Old Spice Guy, apparently.
114	* Really700YearsOld:
115	** Old Spice Guy takes ''centuries'' to plan his vacations. He can explain the proper procedure in a 16th-century French arm-wrestling match, because he was there.
116	** He had a dinosaur for a father figure, and to top it all off, [[http://youtu.be/HDMKrtOncRE he created Australia]] by separating it from Pangaea through sheer upper body strength.
117	* RealMenWearPink: "Do you want a man who smells like he can bake you a gourmet cake in the dream kitchen he built for you with his own hands?" [[spoiler:Of course you do.]]
118	* RedOniBlueOni: Terry (hammy and over-the-top) and Isaiah (snarky and soft-spoken), respectively.
119	* RenaissanceMan: He can bake a gourmet cake in a kitchen he built himself, balance on logs, horse-ride, motorcycle, sail, and be sexy.
120	* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: The king of Ellenopia wears a crown, and wields a sceptre and Old Spice bodywash.
121	* {{Retraux}}: Each of "The Bar Soap You've Been Smelling For" and "Unnecessary Freshness" commercials has a similar 1980s-style jingle with different lyrics, such as:
122	-->"Nope, I was wrong. This is a commercial for fruit."
123	* TheRival: Gained one in [[https://www.youtube.com/user/newoldspiceguyfabio New Old Spice Guy Fabio]] and then [[LargeHam Terry Crews]].
124	* RuleOfCool: Aside from several of the things he has been said to perform, he brings dinosaurs back to life so he can bench-press them.
125	* RunningGag: Freshwater fish and horses.
126	* SexForProduct: Because women won't do it with men who use ''lady-scented'' bodywash.
127	* SmartPeoplePlayChess: In one commercial, Isaiah can be seen playing chess with a ''lion'', to show off how cultured and intelligent he is, in contrast to Terry who's more (verbal) brawns than brain.
128	-->'''Isaiah:''' ''[while Terry is trapped in a painting]'' Be quiet, painting! We're playing chess. Checkmate.
129	* SmokeOut: Fabio tries it during the "duel". He throws down a (very ineffectual) smoke bomb and hides behind the couch. He tries it again, and hides behind the curtain. Fabio goes for it a ''third time'', and guess who still isn't fooled?
130	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He can speak shark, dog, wolf, and ''dragon''.
131	* StupidSexyFlanders: Admit it, you've had one of these moments to this guy.
132	* StylisticSuck: Fabio's videos are meant to portray him as an egotistical prat, speaking in an over-the-top, intentionally incomprehensible Italian accent, and are clearly being set up to give Isaiah Mustafa the victory. That isn't stopping people from genuinely not liking him.
133	* StuffBlowingUp: Most of the "Old Spice" commercials that star Terry Crews end with [[MadeofExplodium something exploding]].
134	* SubvertedCatchPhrase:
135	-->'''Terry:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYt4QWwpF0 Hello ladies]]...''IS WHAT A DUMMY WOULD SAY!''
136	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute:
137	** Parodied. During the duel, the real Old Spice Guy gets replaced by... well, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qEfqJLCSLk&feature=player_embedded this guy]].
138	** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT_O1tL83No&feature=relmfu this guy.]] Ironically, Fabio himself gets this guy to replace him and... the results aren't much better than he'd usually do.
139	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial:
140	** In regards to the Gillette CrossPromotion, such a promotion ''definitely'' didn't happen. Doing that would have been "In poor taste".
141	** He did ''not'' tear off the wings of Pegasus and eat them buffalo-style to achieve the manliness [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d39XO_AULbE he exhibits today.]]
142	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qEfqJLCSLk&feature=player_embedded This guy]] swears he's the real Old Spice Guy, and not another fake person Fabio is paying 'moneys' too.
143	* TalkingToThemself: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-qpEUOtLk8 One video response]] has the Old Spice Man responding to his real-life counterpart, Isaiah Mustafa.
144	* TestosteronePoisoning: All the Old Spice Men are buff and manly figures but they're also so silly and/or absurd. Their purpose is to make the audience laugh.
145	** Terry Crews can become a one man band by flexing his abs.
146	** Mustafa is a charismatic shirtless scene that talks in breathless non-sequiturs and has random hobbies.
147	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: In one of his "Interneterventions", Isiah crushes a gold plated bluetooth headset underfoot. Then hammers the pieces into into smaller pieces. Then batters the smaller pieces into even smaller pieces with a bowling ball. Then uses a comically small hammer to re-hammer the even smaller pieces. Then uses a rolling pin to crush the even smaller pieces into powder. Then sweeps up the pieces and finally chews and swallows them.
148	* ThirdPersonPerson: Fabio likes to talk about Fabio like this.
149	* TitleDrop: ''"Look down. Back up. Where are you? You're on a boat, with the man your man could smell like."''
150	* WackyMarriageProposal: Mustafa [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-fLV28SkZ8 proposed]] to Angela A. Hutt-Chamberlin on behalf of @Jsbeals during the [=YouTube=] response campaign. [[http://mashable.com/2010/07/14/old-spice-proposal/ She said yes, of course.]]
151	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Standing, mostly but shirtless in every situation.
152	* WealthyYachtOwner: He's on a boat. With Diamonds. And tickets to that thing you love.
153	* WhatWereTheySellingAgain: The company (and product line as a whole) has done very well. The specific bodywash being advertised did not. It's lampshaded with Fabio's commercials, where he stumbles through his lines and just says "Old Spice Product Wash".
154	* WhiteStallion: Befitting for a man of his class, whenever The Man Your Man Could Smell Like is "on a horse," it's one of these.
155	* YouNoTakeCandle: Parodied hard with Fabio. Also the fake Old Spice Guy, who is clearly having his lines fed by Fabio.
156	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: As demonstrated in [[http://youtu.be/W_We924vcjU?t=1m32s this particular commercial]] for Odor Blocker Body Wash, it's "TOO ''POWERFUL'' TO LET THIS COMMERCIAL END!"
157	----
158	''[--"aaaaaaaaaaa----]''
159
160	''"Anything is possible when your trope is described like The Man Your Man Could Smell Like article, and not a member of the Administrivia/PermanentRedLinkClub. I'm on an index."''
161
162	'''''[++"--AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! ODOR BLOCKER BODY WASH IS TOO POWERFUL TO LET THIS ARTICLE END!! [[TheStinger STINGER!]] INDEX! [[StuffBlowingUp EXPLOSIOOOOONNN!!!]]++]''''''
163

Context Advertising / TheManYourManCouldSmellLike