Posted by: Sid Williams

I’m sure we’re all very aware of the idea that by taking great risks we can sometimes reap great rewards. Unfortunately, in the business of marketing risk rarely seems to happen. Projects that push us creatively don’t seem to come along very frequently, and it’s not often that we do more then just what you would expect: what’s safe.

As agencies we don’t always want to play it safe, but it takes two parties to create the great campaigns out there. A driven, creative team that will (excuse the cliché) really think outside the box, combined with a fearless client that can get away from what is easy and do what is unexpected, do what will take their brand or product beyond the newspaper ad and flyer.

So what happens when we choose to not take a leap and just go with what’s easy? You get what you give basically. You get just the kind of results you always get, some months it’s better, others it’s worse but ultimately there’s no spike, nothing that makes people step back and take notice.

What happens when you’re fearless?  This…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE&feature=player_embedded

Over 15 million views. Followed by…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE&feature=player_embedded

Over 10 million views.

Old Spice has never been afraid to sell their product in really over the top ways, but with Isaiah Mustafa at the helm they have taken it to a whole new level. In fact they did something just recently that, in my humble opinion, is absolute genius. The “Old Spice Guy” responded to people talking about Old Spice on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Digg, etc, sometimes even answering questions posed directly to the “Old Spice Guy” himself. In fact they responded to close to 100 different messages and comments each with a unique and hilarious video, including…

A Marriage proposal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-fLV28SkZ8&feature=player_embedded

Talking to TV Hosts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js9d48G9HSI

Plugging Companies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqoc6wTNotI&feature=channel

Even having an entire conversation with Alyssa Milano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oElH6M_5i4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-hUXTUXOMY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5KIYhXa_8E&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Y7MZV_bD0&feature=player_embedded

All of these personalized video responses got anywhere from 200,000 to over 3 million views. Clearly, this campaign is a resounding and definitive success. If you want to check more out you can see them all on the Old Spice YouTube channel here.

The numbers don’t lie; the Old Spice Responses got more views in 24 hours than Obama’s victory speech, Bush dodging a shoe, or Susan Boyle.

To take it a step further, the man himself Isaiah Mustafa has been appearing on talk shows like Ellen, Attack Of The Show, CBC News Morning and many more. You might say he’s become famous overnight, which is all the better for Old Spice.

Key takeaway here is pretty obvious. Risk = Reward.

As they say, if you give what you always have, you’ll get what you always got. If that’s just fine for you, fantastic! Otherwise perhaps it’s time to be fearless and take that risk.

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2 Responses to “Risk = Reward”

1. Sid says:

   October 12, 2010 at 1:25 pm

   Can not believe there was no comments on this!
2. Deb Cakes says:

   January 12, 2012 at 8:10 am

   Thanks for posting this, Sid Williams. I really enjoyed reading it. The Old Spice campaign certainly is BRILLIANT!!! Risk = reward indeed!