Old Spice Tales

Aftershave in a classic
"buoy" shape.

I hesitate to admit the following, because – despite heroic attempts at self-delusion – it might reveal just how uncool I really am.

But in reality, that ship sailed long ago, right about the time my kids became teenagers, so what the hell. . .

I cannot lie, I am an Old Spice man.

Taking brand loyalty a little too far, I have persisted in using the same kind of Old Spice deodorant (“original scent”) that I first applied to my armpits as a rank teenager decades ago.

Finns, probably unfamiliar with this “legacy” nautical-themed line of men’s toiletries, might not realize that Old Spice is old school in the extreme, kind of “your father’s” aftershave and deo. I’ve often felt that for the under-fifty crowd, the subtle message of my favorite grooming products isn’t so much “rugged, manly, tamer of the seven seas”, but rather “geezer”.

Despite this, I've chosen to stay in this deo rut, which isn't to do in Finland where, until recently, it was not possible to buy Old Spice (I’m not sure it can be found even now).

This lack of Old Spice in Suomi, plus my crippling inability to consider using anything else, has forced me to stock up whenever I’m in the States. On every trip to the US, I eventually show up at the checkout counter in some Wal-Mart with about a dozen or more sticks of brightly red packaged deodorant. Not surprisingly, buying a two-year supply of the stuff all at once elicits some intriguing looks from the female cashiers – and not the “come hither” kind.

So it was also on my recent visit to New York a few weeks ago. After I got back to Helsinki with my newest stash, I noticed that the marketing folks at Old Spice seem to have embraced the brand’s heritage and its retro reputation. Printed on the back of the deo container is the slightly cheeky message:  

Who knows, maybe Old Spice is becoming cool again. Good thing I didn’t switch to something else.