Old Spice Presents Its First-Ever Mascot, ‘Swaggy Spice’ The Deodorant Stick
By Mikelle Leow, 07 Feb 2023
Something smells—scratch that, smelfs new over at Old Spice. Meet Swaggy Spice, the brand’s first and only mascot and the new face of its Smelf-Confidence campaign.
The walking antiperspirant stick trots about with sunglasses, a cap worn backward, and bling around his (self-appointed) neck—because, well, he’s swaggy. Something tells us no one would be opposed to his white sneakers, a simple wardrobe choice that’s apparently controversial on the green M&M.
Swaggy is, very arguably, a breath of fresh air from the Old Spice Man, played by Isaiah Mustafa. Together with the Smelf-Confidence campaign, he’s here to acknowledge men’s everyday challenges and highlight the confidence they should assume to point out someone else’s body odor (BO) and be called out for theirs.
Research by Procter & Gamble suggests that men are 30% more likely to deal with BO than women, despite showering 2X more and applying deodorant 30% more often. Malodor is “a BIG fear of many men,” Old Spice reiterates.
“Old Spice wants guys everywhere to feel confident when under the spotlight,” explains Matt Krehbiel, Old Spice’s vice president at Procter & Gamble. “This new campaign is inspired by the insight that we can usually count on others to tell us if something is out of place. Maybe we have something in our teeth, or a spot on our shirt, but no one will tell us if we smell, leaving us wondering in those make-or-break moments, ‘do I smell right now?’”
Krehbiel adds: “If you can’t be confident that others will tell you that you smell bad, then you need to be really confident in your grooming products.”
Surprisingly, Swaggy won’t make an appearance in Old Spice’s latest spots, but he’ll be present at the Super Bowl as a real-life testament to Old Spice’s “24/7 freshness.” That’s because “mascots can sweat up to 10 pounds per game, making them the stinkiest thing in the stadium,” says the brand.
While he’s fighting the sweat, Swaggy Spice will hand out samples of odor-protection products to fans around Phoenix, as well as bear the camera flashes with fellow celebrities on the Super Bowl LVII red carpets.
The newest commercials, produced by Wieden+Kennedy Portland, are inspired by Broadway. Swaggy is out of sight, but taking his place is Colombian-born actor Manuel Pacific. The first of the two videos has been released, while the second will debut in spring.
Making his first statement, Swaggy Spice says: “It’s a real honor to become THE most famous deodorant stick of all time and spread the word about my 24/7 long-lasting freshness. I always had big dreams thanks to my confidence-inducing fragrance and odor protection but never expected to reach the pinnacle of deodorant stardom with Old Spice.”
The deodorant stick elaborates: “Shout out to my good-smelling friends and family who believed in me as a young deodorant stick with one dream… to deliver Smelf-Confidence to guys everywhere.”
[via B&T, Beauty Packaging, Business Wire, images via Old Spice / Business Wire]