Old Spice reveals first brand mascot as Super Bowl anticipation heats up

• Old Spice is introducing its first brand mascot as a part of a “Smelf-Confidence” campaign that leans on musical theater tropes, in keeping with a news release.  
• Swaggy Spice, an anthropomorphized stick of the Procter & Gamble brand’s deodorant, will make his debut during Super Bowl LVII Opening Night today (Feb. 6). In the lead-up to the massive game, the character will dole out samples, interact with fans and appear with celebrity handlers. 
• The men’s grooming marketer can also be out with a latest spot, “Soliloquy,” that uses a Broadway-style show tune to depict how Old Spice gives guys a confidence boost. Wieden + Kennedy helped develop the creative, which is able to extend into the spring with a future industrial titled “Tango.”

Now lower than per week away, Super Bowl LVII continues to be a magnet for brand mascot developments. Old Spice is using the hotly anticipated sporting event to premiere Swaggy Spice and promote its Swagger line of products, which incorporates body wash, deodorant and lotion. 

Swaggy Spice appears as a stick of the P&G marketer’s deodorant in its signature red hue and is outfitted in “stylish accessories,” such as a white hat, chain-link necklace and giant sunglasses. Conceptually, Old Spice wants to spotlight the long-lasting nature of its products, noting that mascots can sweat up to 10 kilos per game. 

Swaggy Spice is dropping into Phoenix, Arizona, to be put to the freshness test and interact with fans and celebrities ahead of the Super Bowl, which will probably be played within the neighboring city of Glendale. The mascot can also be set to cameo throughout the Super Bowl Opening Night preview show later today.

Old Spice appears to be taking a tongue-in-cheek approach with Swaggy Spice, whose design recalls satirical characters like Poochie from “The Simpsons” that mock strained corporate attempts to look cool. 

The latest Broadway-inspired “Smelf-Confidence” creative shares the light-hearted streak, showing an ensemble made up of townspeople, more walking Old Spice products and a twerking white horse that may be a likely reference to earlier ads from the brand. “Soliloquy” is airing across national TV and YouTube, Vevo, TikTok and Reddit.

While Old Spice claims Swaggy Spice is its first official mascot, the brand isn’t any stranger to recurring characters, such as the musclebound “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” spokesperson who riffed on ultra-macho promoting tropes several years ago.

The “Smelf-Confidence” effort tries to balance the absurdity with a confidence boost for men who’re anxious they reek of B.O. The announcement cited internal P&G research that found men shower twice as often and apply deodorant 30% more incessantly than women.