Before there was the Old Spice guy, the execs at Old Spice decided that they needed to spice up their usual Old Spice coupons and in-store-display advertising routine by entering a growing sector of the entertainment market – video games.
Advergames have gotten a lot of criticism from the gaming community, because they weasel their way onto Indie gaming channels, but they’re promoting corporations and they aren’t offered for free.
Old Spice’s games included “Old Spice Racers,” “Newton vs. The Horde,” and “The Fresh Card Game.” As if you could play away your sweaty odor on a videogame console.
In “Newton” you use an arsenal of weapons, including deodorant, to keep stinky zombies from destroying the world. In “Card Games,” you play a poker-like game, and “Racers” is 45 levels of old-fashioned arcade racing.
The games didn’t get any kind of rave reviews, but what can you expect from brand-based games? I can’t imagine paying to play a virtual commercial, and I probably would’nt play a sub-par game even for free. Now that the studly Old Spice guy has revitalized the brand’s image and made Old Spice coupons cool to use, Old Spice doesn’t have to rely on half-hearted efforts at interactive media – and they’ve got the accolades to prove it.
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