Ad Rant: Old Spice knows what women want: a man on a horse!

Normally we feature ads we hate, but this one deserves a different tune. Freud first asked the question, and now Old Spice answers it with their pitch-perfect series of "manmercials." What do women want? They want a man on a horse, of course! And they want one with a bare chest, the physique of a former NFL wide receiver, and enough self-assurance to say with complete authority that whoever your current man happens to be, "Sadly, he isn't me. But if he stopped using ladies' bodywash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he's me."

In short, what women want is the actor Isaiah Mustafa, a TV actor and former NFL-er, with just a towel around his waist in "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" ad.

Women want him. Men want to be him. It's win-win. And it's wildly funny.

Remember when the Old Spice brand felt stale? The man on a horse changes all that. The past few years' Old Spice commercials with Bruce Campbell paved the way, of course, by sending up the brand's fusty old image with a modern, comedic twist.

"The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" goes way beyond that. The character moves seamlessly through several manly-men scenarios--stepping out of the shower, at sea on a boat, and on the beach astride a white horse that's as well-muscled as he is. The effect is funny, but not jokey. There's truth to it. Sure, women say they want a man who is sensitive and can express his feelings, but they go for men who are powerful, confident, and can captain a boat and ride a horse bareback.