Old Spice Sets Sail on a Pirate Ship in Latest Campaign

To promote its upgraded range of products with a longer-lasting formula in perfume quality, Old Spice and the agency Burns have created a fantastical campaign that originates from a strong consumer tension: products out there don’t last through the day, or nearly as long as they promise. This campaign and the products new formula, challenges that and aims to demonstrate the long-lasting product efficiency of the Old Spice products aboard the smelliest setting on the seven seas: a pirate ship.

‘Unbelievably Long-Lasting it can only be Old Spice’, was created by independent Spanish agency Burns. Set to run in more than 40 countries across Europe and Central Asia, the new campaign is led by a comic yet impeccably crafted film which combines Hollywood-level production values with an entertaining narrative - as well as offering a clever twist on an iconic moment from the Old Spice advertising archives.

Directed by Martín Jalfen through production company ROMA, the film brings to life a blockbuster script set aboard a reeking pirate ship. Amidst the noisome smells of fish, unwashed feet and rotten teeth, one pirate is accused of being an intruder - due to his unusually fresh and unbelievably good smell - and sentenced to walk the plank. As the captain himself points out: ‘No one can smell this good for this long!” 

Even the discovery of the new Old Spice deodorant, antiperspirant and shower gel amongst his belongings can’t save the protagonist from his watery fate - but, after backflipping off the plank into the sea, there’s a twist in this swashbuckling tale. In a witty riff on the brand’s beloved 2010 ad, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like - which memorably featured star Isaiah Mustafa proclaiming ‘I’m on a horse’ while mounted on a white steed - the hero of the new spot emerges riding a giant seahorse into the sunset.

Enric Jiménez Prat, senior director personal care Europe, Procter & Gamble, said, “Advertising for this category doesn’t have to be basic or boring, and our role as Old Spice historically has been to elevate it, moving it from just advertising to entertainment. I believe this is what the new campaign is doing.“

Carla Alexander, co-CEO, Burns, said, "Creating an international campaign for a brand like Old Spice has been both a challenge and an opportunity to showcase and prove the immense talent we have at the agency.”

Pablo Salinas, co-ECD, Burns, added, "It’s a dream to work again with one of our favorite brands, especially on an international project like this. Also, we allowed ourselves to pay homage to Old Spice’s most iconic campaign, one that made us realize that incredible things can be done in advertising.”

Pablo Madrid, co-ECD, Burns, commented, "It has been a long process, hand-in-hand with the Old Spice team, to find a story that conveys a very rational benefit in a very Old Spice way.”

To elevate the film’s look and feel and give it blockbuster appeal beyond a regular advert, the production process was driven by realism by tracking down an authentic pirate ship - the Nao Victoria, docked on the Costa del Sol.

"Our main goal was to tell the story while taking care of the craft. For this, we needed to bring realism and production value, which is why we chose a real pirate ship and an international cast, full of talent, that was a true pleasure to direct,” said director Martín Jalfen.

‘Unbelievably Long-Lasting it can only be Old Spice’ launches today across TV, digital, instore and OOH in Europe.

A year in the making, the new campaign represents a significant milestone in Burns’ growing international profile, building on the agency’s previous global campaigns for the Olympics and Lexus.

In addition to the hero film, the campaign consists of a 20” antiperspirant , 15“ shower gel execution and multiple other shorter formats.