Radio is the second largest medium in the Philippines with roughly 60 million listeners and remains the most prevalent medium in the country. As a challenger brand with minimal ad spend, Old Spice knew it cannot compete with bigger deo brands who advertise heavily in FM radio stations–most especially during the summer. Doing just another radio ad won’t do. We had to find a way to break through the clutter during the most important season for deodorants and body wash. So with the brand’s typical ingenuity and madness, we decided to own the parts of radio that no one else did… the sound of static.

The cool thing about static is that it literally sounds cool. And this sound can provide relief from the summer heat the same way ASMR videos and white noise are scientifically proven to induce relaxation. So instead of doing just another radio ad, Old Spice hijacked un-owned radio frequencies that play nothing but static and branded them with descriptive names that transport listeners to a much cooler place. With the power of suggestion and a bit of imagination, people can beat the heat by simply using mind (or ears) over matter. Old Spice ended up owning the most pervasive sound on radio – turning static stations into cooling stations. So the next time someone tuned into radio, whenever they hear static, it’s not just static but something cooling. Just like how Old Spice makes you feel in the summer.

Old Spice’s target audience are 20s to 30s males. Aside from TV and online, radio is a popular medium the Philippines with majority of listeners belonging to the same demographic as the brand’s target audience. But as a challenger brand, Old Spice didn’t have the budget to saturate relevant media in the most critical season for the category, summer. The thing about radio is that it needs frequency of airing to make a dent. We had to find a clever way to stand out with minimal ad spend. Online videos however, would just need the right idea for ‘virality’ and ‘shareability’. So we released an entertaining online film that invited people to listen to the radio–not for another radio ad, but for the sound of static. With static being most pervasive sound on air, we introduced new radio stations that only played static to help people beat the summer heat.

During the peak of summer in April, we released an online film starring the Philippines’ first Old Spice guy: Ali Peek. A retired PBA champion who embodies the confidence and effortless dry humour of the brand. He announced new radio stations brought to you by Old Spice, but they weren’t your usual FM stations. Instead they are the radio frequencies IN BETWEEN the most popular radio stations in the country–which only played static. We invited people to tune in to these Summer Static Stations that sounded the same as the things that make you feel cool: Rain FM, Cold Shower FM, Industrial Fan FM, Majestic Waterfalls FM, Gushing River FM, Snowstorm FM.

In a country where Old Spice brand efforts usually go unnoticed, the Summer Static Stations campaign made a big difference. Brand engagement reached an all-time high with 33% increase. Brand sentiment peaked at an overwhelming 91% positive sentiment on social media. RMN, the Philippines largest radio network, featured the campaign on-air and invited listeners to move their radio frequency a few digits to experience the cooling sound of static stations. In a matter of days, the online film gained almost 2 million views with minimal boosting and bare-minimum production budget.