Old Spice New Sporno

Old Spice are running an eye-wateringly spornographic wrestling TV ad for their Red Zone Hydrowash in the US.  It features two buffed, cut, metro-wrestlers with really great hair and skin grappling on the mat.  The ‘bottom’, held in a neck lock, comments, between fighting for air, on the ‘top’s ‘soft skin’ and how it’s ‘supple’.  ‘So?’ replies the top, slightly baffled but carrying on choking

‘It’s… nice’ the lad eventually manages to sputter, before the ref blows the whistle.  ‘THERE’S NO SHAME IN SOFT SKIN,’ announces a reassuringly butch coach-like, ironic but perhaps not so ironic, voiceover.

I’m not sure what ‘Hydrowash’ is, but after seeing this ad I don’t know how I’ve lived without it.  I suspect those 300 Spartans use it too.

I don’t think these guys eat Snickers.  This ad is as funny and smart and young as that Superbowl Snickers ad wasn’t.  What’s more, it has big (shaved) balls where that Snickers ad just had nelly OMIGOD!! NOWAY!! SOOOGROSS!! THEIR LIPS, LIKE, TOTALLY TOUCHED!!! man-panic.

A clever and effective way to re-brand a company still associated with the smooth operator breeder naffness of the 1970s.

The end-line for this knowlingly, wittily spornographic ad is ‘Keep it clean’.

Fat chance.

Thanks to Glenn for bringing this to my rapt attention