The Conversation Gets Personal With the Old Spice Man

July 15, 2010— -- He's the man your man could smell like.

He's on a horse.

And he's changing the nature of advertising.

Today on the Conversation, ABC's John Berman goes one-on-one with the Old Spice man himself, actor and former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa, chatting from his shower.

Piggybacking on the success of their funny and innovative Super Bowl commercial pitching body wash, Mustafa starred in a new TV spot recently to rave reviews, featuring his shirtless, towel-clad emblem of masculinity on the beach, constructing a kitchen, and swan diving off a waterfall in the span of 30 seconds.

But Mustafa and the advertising firm behind the spots, Portland, Oregon-based Wieden + Kennedy, are getting even more attention for their work that's hit YouTube in the last two days.

They're recording Old Spice Man's responses to questions on Twitter and Facebook, uploading them to the Internet in near real-time. They've posted more than 150 clips already, with more on the way.

"People just like what they see, and they want to see more of it, so why not give it to them, right?" Mustafa said.

Mustafa often records the videos in one take and said he could do a hundred a day. Wieden + Kennedy writers "just give [the questions] to me as they come in," he said. "The guys write a response to them, and I go for it."

By responding to these queries from everyone from Apolo Ohno and Ellen DeGeneres, to GMA's George Stephanopoulos and average Twitter users, the Old Spice Man has racked up plenty of hits and even more buzz for an edgy ad campaign that's using social media in a new way.

"I think the Old Spice campaign is really breaking new ground here," said marketing expert Michael Fleischner. "Ads have always been a form of entertainment, but now when you add that viral effect it's really starting to escalate."

So if you're a fan of the smooth voice and sharp looks of this swell-smelling icon, you won't want to miss today's Conversation.

And if you want to see the response video Old Spice Man made Stephanopoulos click http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2010/07/old-spice-guy-has-some-advice-for-obama.html.

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