You would think that being signed to a professional sports team would bring some level of fame and fortune – but for Isaiah Mustafa, who was signed by the NFLs Seattle Seahawks in 2000, his moment in the spotlight didn’t come until he put on a bath towel for Old Spice.

Probably not what he had in mind, when he dreamed of his future success.

However, now Mustafa is the star of one of the fastest-growing and most impactful viral video campaigns for any product in recent history.

His first Old Spice commercial: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” currently has over 15 million views on YouTube – Old Spice parlayed that success into their most recent efforts – personalized responses to fan questions. (view them here)

In these videos, the “Old Spice Guy” responded to questions from various social media sites 186 times – pretty much taking up everyone’s attention over a 2-day period last week.  While some of the buzz was provided by responses to well known people with large Twitter followings, such as Alyssa Milano and George Stephanopoulos – most of the buzz came from the clever tongue-in-cheek answers to questions like:

His response:

“This is a common and life threatening side effect of Old Spice bodywash. Keep running to your nearest grocer and cover your self with lady scented bodywash. You will then smell like daffodils and cotton candy and women will want nothing to do with you. Problem solved.”

The commercials are definitely funny, but mostly, they do an impressive job of utilizing multiple forms of media and quickly engaging with the audience. Which is important when you’re trying to gain traction online, as there are short attention spans and plenty of distractions. In fact, to generate so many videos – each was shot in about 7 minutes and mostly with just one take.

It’s amazing to think that Old Spice – the product that everyone previously associated with their dad or grandfather – has become cool. Even more, they may have just changed the way agencies approach online campaigns from now on.

However, maybe all of this ‘success talk’ is a little premature…after all, Old Spice Body Wash sales are down 7%. On the other hand, Mustafa – the Old Spice guy – did just sign a contract with NBC…ladies.

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This post was featured as a social media dream segment of the July 22nd edition of This Week In Social Media.

Kevin Smith is an Account Supervisor at PJA Advertising & Marketing. Follow him on Twitter: @Mr_KevinSmith

We also took a look at how social media helped turn the low budget horror film “Paranormal Activity” into a box office success, as well as take on the discussion of Pepsi’s new iPhone App for Amp Energy drink, “before you score,” that aims to help guys land women. Is it in bad taste or just good targeted marketing?

Check out these articles that we’ll be referencing during the show:

Paranormal Activity Rides the Social Web to Millions at the Box Office

Pepsi and AMP: We Apologize If Our App Was in Bad Taste

An Open Letter to Elisa Steele EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Yahoo Inc. on the New “The Internet Is You” Yahoo Marketing Campaign

Moderator:
Doug Zanger

Speakers:
Mike O’Toole, President, PJA @motoole1
Robert Davis, VP, Digital Marketing, PJA @heyrobertdavis
Phil Johnson, CEO, PJA @philjohnson