When Old Spice realized women made the majority of purchasing decisions when it came to men’s body wash products, they took a different approach with their next ad campaign. While the tagline “don’t let your man smell like a woman,” might not fly these days, the genuinely funny non-sequitur dialogue and Isaiah Mustafa’s perfect delivery made it a massive hit back in 2010.

Old Spice’s commercial was perhaps the pinnacle of the absurdist, unpredictable, meme-able humor many advertisers have embraced in hopes of creating a viral hit. And it worked. The ad took home nearly every major industry award that year and currently stands at over 55 million views on YouTube. Old Spice, meanwhile, has continued to hone their off-beat brand voice with a hugely popular follow-up campaign starring actor Terry Crews.

Smell Like a Man, Man is a television advertising campaign in the United States created by ad agency Wieden+Kennedy for the Old Spice brand of male grooming products, owned by Procter & Gamble. The campaign is also commonly referred to as The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, being the title of the campaign's initial 30-second commercial. The campaign was initially launched to market Old Spice's Red Zone After Hours Body Wash, but has subsequently been expanded to include other products following the success of the initial advertisements. The campaign targets female viewers, despite the product's target market being male, as the company determined that women frequently make purchasing decisions in respect of hygiene products even for male household members.

The campaign centers on the eponymous "Man Your Man Could Smell Like", played by actor Isaiah Mustafa (Old Spice refers to him as "Old Spice Man") addressing the viewer in confident, rapid-fire monologues which promote the benefit of using Old Spice products. While reciting the monologues, Mustafa progresses through various activities, locations, costumes, and extraordinary situations, all in one uninterrupted take while maintaining constant eye-contact with the camera in a nonchalant demeanor. The advertisements typically feature a surprise ending.

As of the early 2000s, Old Spice held position as the leader in the U.S. market for men's deodorant and body wash, with a market share of twenty percent. However, the brand was regarded as deeply unfashionable and largely coasting on an aging reputation. Procter & Gamble had sold off several of its other older brands such as Noxzema skin cream, Sure deodorant and Comet cleanser in order to focus on products with potential for faster growth, and Old Spice was on the shortlist for a similar sale if it could not demonstrate further growth.

In 2006, Wieden+Kennedy replaced Saatchi & Saatchi as the advertising agency for the brand. Advertising spending for the account was minimal in the years running up to the handover, with campaigns aimed at holding on to the brand's primary demographic of men over thirty years old. Procter & Gamble completed its acquisition of the Gillette brand of razors and personal care products at around the same time, and sought to pivot to market both brands to younger consumers.

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like represented a swing towards humour and lighthearted advertising aimed at a younger demographic. Old Spice took on several celebrity spokespeople popular with younger consumers, such as the actors Neil Patrick Harris and Will Ferrell, and the rap artist LL Cool J.