I apologize about the quality of this video. I also apologize about the quality of this commercial.
As the title of this clip so succinctly points out, the creators of this commercial clearly–clearly!–saw the wildly successful and certifiably awesome Old Spice commercials that featured the guy who prefaced every ad with “Hel-lo ladies…” You know, this guy:
Now, it’s one thing to seize upon a successful idea and repeat it until it simply doesn’t work any longer. For instance, the Progressive commercials featuring Flo annoy me to death, but you’ll never find them featured here because, despite themselves, they work. The second you see Flo, you think “Progressive”, which is high praise for a commercial.
That said, it’s important to come up with your own successful idea, and not simply use the blueprint that another product’s team came up with. Even if Edge would have executed this commercial well, the fact that it came so quickly after Old Spice Guy would have forever put it in Old Spice’s shadow. Which means, of course, that the viewer is subconsciously thinking about Old Spice at the end of this ad instead of Edge–a clear failure on Edge’s part.
You’ll note that I said “if” Edge had made this well. This is because they did not. There’s a ton of little things that bothered me about it. This guy is supposed to be utterly masculine (to rival/rip off the Old Spice Guy), but within 30 seconds he:
- Kicked a football like a 6-year-old
- Totally eyed up that other guy shaving
- Apparently was unable to slide down a pole, since they cut away before he slid and back in as he hopped down 6 inches to land.
- Held Edge shaving gel in a leather armchair as though it were a wine glass he were about to drink. What’s that all about?
Also, I think he looks mildly effeminate, sort of like the guy who plays The Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Maybe he should have had some manly morning stubble to shave off? Since that’s what they’re advertising.
Frustration Index Meter: 6/10
These Commercial Messages 