We generally wouldn’t advise brands to indulge in meme-jacking, or co-opting the trajectory of a “Gangnam Style” or Harlem Shake-type web trend to win more exposure. Did anyone really like that pistachio ad? Old Spice, however, just schooled us on the subtle art of riding a meme. The brand’s social media team produced a pop culture mash-up by simply dubbing audio from the “screaming goat” clips currently dominating the Internet over an ad that ran during the Super Bowl.

Sometimes we think we are hilarious and then internet screaming goat trends show us what funny really is. youtu.be/Z10Hrsx7FBY

— Mr. Wolfdog (@OldSpice) March 1, 2013

It’s the best kind of social media win: lots of attention for very little work.

We think it’s safe to say that last week was a great one for McKayla Maroney. Not only did she bring home the gold as part of the US Gymnastics Fab Five (that’s “Fierce Five” if you ask them); she also won silver in the women’s vault competition. Not too shabby!

And yet, Maroney’s been making waves all over social media this week as part of a clever meme based on a single photo that speaks volumes: After placing second in the vault event because of a last-minute slip, the gymnast looks a little…disappointed. You might even say that McKayla is not impressed with winning the silver.

Maroney cleared the air during an appearance on The TODAY Show yesterday, stating that she was “just disappointed in what happened and how I performed” rather than the silver medal itself.

Read more

Last week, we thought Old Spice had gone crazy. Turns out they’ve gone crazy like a fox.

While we were lamenting the possible loss of Isaiah Mustafa, Old Spice and its ad firm Wieden & Kennedy have decided to kick its publicity up a notch by pitting its successful spokesperson against Fabio, who also has had a lot of success as a spokesperson.

Rather than letting its old marketing gimmick go stale, the brand has added a new element – a duel– to keep its marketing fresh and in the news. Kind of brilliant.

Read more

New Old Spice commercials have turned up on their own YouTube channel, but instead of featuring our fresh-smelling hunk Isaiah Mustafa talking manliness to us with all that bass, these things star hunk of the olden days Fabio just saying stuff that no one cares about. Nooooooo!

SheKnows.com notes that these videos aren’t feeling the love on YouTube. P&G says it’s not replacing Mustafa. Maybe Isaiah is busy with his new film career, and the company is testing the waters with other spokesmen.

Does the magic have to end? Who else will women look at after they look at their man? Nooooooooo!

McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner took a stand on behalf of Ronald McDonald at last week’s annual shareholders meeting in the face of criticism that the clown mascot promotes unhealthy eating habits and childhood obesity.

“Ronald McDonald is an ambassador for McDonald’s, and he is an ambassador for good,” Skinner said. “He does not advertise unhealthy food to children.”

Still, people continue to take issue with the mascot, wondering whether Ronald should be retired. Today, food website Epicurious asks whether there should be a change.

Recently, we’ve watched Aflac turn their search for a new voice for its duck mascot into a news story. Old Navy finally bid adieu to its spokes-mannequins in recent months. Capital One has added Alec Baldwin to its commercials, so could the Vikings be soon making an exit? And Old Spice has toyed with the idea of an ad without man mascot Isaiah Mustafa.

So when is it time for a new face?

Read more

There’s a new Old Spice ad featuring a man in a suit who gets half-eaten by an alligator. This is not the shirtless, diamond-bearing Old Spice man Isaiah Mustafa that we’ve grown to love! Mashable says it’s unclear whether this means Mustafa won’t be returning to the role. P&G, say it ain’t so! What do you think folks?

In a Bloomberg story, P&G is talking up some big numbers resulting from the Old Spice/Isaiah Mustafa “Smell Like a Man Man” campaign:

— Number of impressions (people who saw, read, or heard about commercials): 1.8 billion.
— Number of YouTube views for Old Spice and related videos: 140 million and counting.
— Increase in Twitter followers for Old Spice: 2,700 percent.

With increasing activity on social media, P&G has big plans for Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. But ratings for soap operas continue to decline, and the company has ended its 77-year sponsorship in the daytime dramas. The last P&G soap opera, As the World Turns, ended in September. It was P&G’s sponsorship that led to the term “soap opera.”

Read more