Old Spice Question

1.  Should the brand team attempt to compete with or respond to Dove for Men (DFM)?  

Can the brand compete with DFM without directly referring to the brand in advertising?  

Should Old Spice go directly after DFM and be the first brand in P&G history to call out a competitor brand?

The brand team should not directly refer to Dove for Men in advertising.  This decision is warranted because Old Spice does not have an identical target market as Dove for Men.  Old Spice is known as a rebellious brand that targets a consumer with a different lifestyle than Dove.  Also, they typically target a younger male, which was certainly the case with their Swagger campaign.  Additionally, if they directly took on Dove for Men, it would be a very large undertaking given the size and popularity of the overall Dove brand.  They would risk turning off female consumers by portraying a negative image of Dove, which is well-regarded by females who are the prominent purchasers of skincare products.  

However, the brand team should compete with Dove for Men without any negative referral to the DFM brand.  One way that they should compete is by creating a Super Bowl advertisement.  Despite the high price tag, advertising in the Super Bowl is necessary because, as discussed in the case, more than 100 million consumers watch the Super Bowl.  The consumers who watch the Super Bowl are highly engaged with its advertisements.  In addition to the advertisements being shown during the football game, they are also posted online and actively watched before, during, and after the Super Bowl.  They are also shared by friends and family to reach viral marketing status.  By advertising at the Super Bowl, Old Spice will keep the brand in the front of mind with their target customers against the competing Dove for Men campaign.  If Old Spice were to not promote the brand via a Super Bowl advertisement, Dove for Men could promote their campaign without competition.  In turn, Dove could capture a portion of Old Spice’s sales despite the fact that the target market differs in regards to age and lifestyle because both companies are still targeting the male demographic within their target market.  Therefore, while Old Spice should not directly refer to Dove for Men in their advertising they should compete against them and create a Super Bowl campaign.

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