Old Spice remade Kazakh masculinity with a hit song about a hero

In Kazakhstan, many men considered fragrance and grooming products unmanly, which capped category growth even as incomes and global exposure rose. Traditional advertising could not shift a cultural belief.

Old Spice and NOTO Agency chose entertainment over argument. They co-created 'Aidakhar' with Irina Kairatovna, a beloved local artist, producing an original music video built on Kazakh symbols — the horse — and a character named Beka who embodied a modern, confident masculinity.

The song became popular culture rather than advertising: it spread on YouTube and TikTok as music people chose to watch, with the shower gel embedded in the story rather than pitched. Fans joined the conversation, creating millions of user-generated videos.

By letting local artists define what masculinity could be, the campaign made buying the product an expression of the new identity, not a concession to marketing.