From fighting rival gangs in Grand Theft Auto V as Trevor Phillips to slicing and dicing zombies in The Walking Dead as Simon to terrorizing other hosts in Westworld, actor Steven Ogg has a huge fan base across entertainment.

Old Spice is tapping into that audience through Ogg’s latest character, infomercial host Bob Giovanni, the latest leg in the company’s “smell legendary” line of spokesmen.

“The ideology behind this is more than the freshest scent, it’s the idea that everyone has a journey,” Ogg told AListDaily. “A high number of millennials are just slaves to the grind in the sense that they’re just working to pay the bills at jobs they aren’t happy at. So reaching these people with the message is about finding happiness in whatever you do. It’s about being proud of what you do, being confident in what you do and doing the best job you can in whatever it is you do.”

The commercials use humor to market Old Spice’s Hardest Working Collection, which includes the new Steel Courage scent, Hydro Wash body wash and Old Spice Swat Defense.

“I never thought of the Old Spice brand much before (working on this campaign),” Ogg said. “I mean I used it before, and I certainly gravitated toward them and like that they do this with humor. I enjoy being a part of this, especially since the humor is used to push that message of working hard and finding your own voice in the world. It’s done in a very appealing tone, rather than being all high and mighty.”

Ogg follows Terry Crews and Isaiah Mustafa in communicating Old Spice marketing through humor.

“What Terry, Isaiah and the others have done is having fun with this, which helps get the message out there,” Ogg said. “This Bob Giovanni character is a lot of fun to play. And it translates to a wide audience and communicates to them that, ‘Hey man, do the best you can, find your own legendary status.’ I like that whole idea of working hard to achieve it at whatever you do. And taking pride in it.”

The Old Spice message of smelling fresh certainly connects with the most recent projects Ogg has worked on, whether that’s the deserts of Utah and California in Westworld or the humidity of the Atlanta suburbs in The Walking Dead.

“Confidence definitely comes from good grooming and smelling good,” Ogg said. “If you stink, you’re going to be self-conscious about it.”

Old Spice recently hired Wakefield Research to survey millennial men about working in the modern era.

Some findings tie into the “own the legend” marketing campaign, including the fact that 82 percent of millennial men (ages 18-to-35) who use social media admit to fibbing or exaggerating the truth on social to make their experiences seem more exciting; 87 percent of men feel pressure to “show off” on social media. Where they lived also impacted honesty, with 69 percent of men living in the city are more likely to fib online, compared to those in the suburbs (49 percent) or rural areas (39 percent).

“This concept of knowing that so many people are out there feeling trapped by their work, feeling the pressure and the competition—and it’s not just millennials that worry about standing out,” Ogg said. “We shouldn’t be focusing on standing out any more than children should be focusing on becoming famous. It’s a misguided thing. You should focus on who you are and know your voice. That’s what makes you a legend—it’s about finding your voice and standing out, as opposed to trying to become one of the sheep, or one of the zombies.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9usSgYQIyg