“…because if that zeppelin crashes into that bacon factory, all of us will be without bacon. And that simply will not do.”

And so goes the closing line in a television spot from one of the hottest advertising initiatives going, the Old Spice “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign, which propels bacon front and center in what’s becoming the viral communications breakthrough of the year.

Sure, you might remember grandpa for smelling like Old Spice. We bet he’d smell a lot like bacon, too. That is, assuming your grandma made a mess of it every morning for breakfast, especially when the treasured grandkids were over for a bacon-fueled visit!

But make no mistake. This is 2010, and bacon holds a place in even the biggest marketers’ advertising initiatives. The “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign created for Old Spice by Portland-based advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy is now a huge hit. And that’s thanks in no small part to social media channels like Twitter and YouTube, Internet forums and general word of mouth, plus a little thing called an Emmy nomination.

Sure, the campaign probably sells a ton of old-school cologne. We’re just glad it raises awareness of the possibility a world (gasp!) without delicious pork bellies.

Here’e the gem that centers on our favorite thing other than Old Spice—sweet, sweet bacon: