When Will The Old Spice Parodies Stop!?

When Old Spice parodies first started hitting the web I'll be the first to admit that I was pretty darn amused. That being said, companies, brands and individuals have continued to spoof Old Spice's 'Man Your Man Could Smell Like' into the ground. I feel like this barrage of parody campaigns has not only beat over the head, killed and buried Old Spice spoofery, but has driven me to actually resent Old Spice and their towel-clad hunk. And I used to be one of their campaign's biggest fans. We've seen Old Spice spoofs from everyone from scholars to sausages and even babies. But advertisers, comedians, filmmakers and politicians out there, I'm sorry but Old Spice parodies are played out! It's been done, it's not original at all anymore and, if anything, it will just make you look bad. Over the months we've seen a lot of Old Spice parodies and some have been better than others. Take for example 'The Sausage Your Sausage Could Taste Like'. That was pretty awesome, and I will step out of my rant for one second to say that this parody would still be great even if it was released today. After all, it's a freakin' talking sausage! So yes, if you can come up with something as creative (or more creative) than a freakin' talking sausage Old Spice spoof then yes, I make an exception for you in my request to stop the Old Spice parodies. We've also seen a few other decent Old Spice parodies over the months, including The Sun's Page 3 spoof, which may have been a success as compared to other parodies for no other reason than the fact that it starred a half-naked, hot model instead of the hairy, unattractive men that spoofs have been prone too. However, more often than not brands, companies and personalities have spoofed Old Spice in ways that just make them look bad. Who could forget the Cisco Old Spice copycat campaign? And what about Vermont politician Daniel Freilich's Old Spice copycat campaign that he hoped would get him elected to the Senate? Did Freilich really think this campaign would make him look good? Would you trust a politician on a cow (Heeyah!) to represent you in Washington? In the end, Freilich only got 10% of the vote. Congressional hopeful Jerry Labriola also spoofed Old Spice in his campaign this year, though it wasn't enough for him to beat Democratic incumbent Rosa DeLauro. So you may be asking yourself why I am suddenly appealing to the world of the web now to stop the Old Spice parodies once and for all. The straw that broke the camels back for me was reading on AdFreak this morning that there are now not one, but two new Old Spice parodies and I'm ready for them to stop! The first is a holiday video for venture capital firm First Round Capital. At 7 minutes long, the video not only features a promo for First Round Capital, but also features the companies partners and portfolio companies, towel-clad, wishing the world "Happy Holidays!" from their showers. I wonder if the companies they've invested in still think it was worth it after being humiliated in this video. All I can say is, "Oi va voi!" And check out investment banker Terry Kawaja's new Old Spice parody. When I need to decide who I want to advice me on all my important financial decisions I know I'll think of Terry Kawaja, topless in his towel, first! On that note, I would like to say that I hope we can bid Old Spice parodies goodbye when we bid 2010 goodbye. As I said earlier, unless you've got something as original as a talking sausage up your sleeve then you're better off putting your advertising resources into something more original, more interesting and less played out than an Old Spice spoof. Are you as sick of Old Spice spoofs as I am?

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When Will The Old Spice Parodies Stop!?

Companies, brands and individuals have continued to spoof Old Spice's 'Man Your Man Could Smell Like' into the ground. When is it going to end already?!

Megan O'Neill

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Megan O'Neill