The epic marketing campaign pitting romance-novel cover model Fabio and comedian Isaiah Mustafa against each other for the title of “Old Spice Guy” ended yesterday. It was no contest.
As the masses on the Internet predicted, Fabio lost, proving that Internet newcomers are at a disadvantage, no matter what kind of offline celebrity they enjoy.
The campaign officially closed with a collaborative video between the two musclemen.
Mustafa told Fabio, “Your shenanigans have upset the very balance of the galaxy,” and claimed the title because “the Internet has spoken.”
Fabio countered by saying, “Years ago, I had all the love of the women… I was the most loved TV spokesperson. It was happiness.” He reminded Mustafa that his spokesperson fame will one day wane like his did.
This idea of fading stardom was reiterated by YouTubers who rushed to defend Fabio in the comments on other videos.
Wrote SoulStatement: “People hatin’ on Fabio but he was the oldspice of the past for other products and in 15 years the new younger generation will have a new epic spokesperson and they will have no respect for mustafa like some people have no respect for Fabio now. Sad but true.”
This year’s Old Spice Internet campaign, which produced more than 100 customized videos in response to requests posted on Twitter, didn’t match last year’s version for views. But the Web community still heartily enjoyed the interactive nature of the advertising scheme. (How could you not love some of Fabio’s hijinks, like throwing large dinosaur bones?)
@MaryClueButter tweeted that watching the Old Spice videos made her day. @moxiemanda reflected on the popularity of the campaign, saying she is glad she’s not the only one with a bizarre sense of humor.
YouTuber thereplygirlsreviews came back with another video on the topic, calling it “the best ad campaign I’ve seen in years.” mileyfanofsports got so excited that Fabio lost that he made a video of himself dancing to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Console yourself with that, Fabio: You were caught in a landslide. No escape from reality. Easy come, easy go. But nothing really matters.
