CINCINNATI — Italian model Fabio is trying to muscle in on Isaiah Mustafa as the front man for Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice line of men’s body wash and deodorant.

The long-tressed Fabio, whose image has launched a few hundred romance novels, claims to be “the new Old Spice guy.” In one video, he bursts through a poster of Mustafa, the former professional football player whose shirtless charm brought the world’s largest consumer product maker and advertiser a big hit.

Behind Fabio’s role is Wieden+Kennedy, the Portland, Ore., ad agency that also helped create last year’s “Smell Like A Man, Man” campaign, an online and social media sensation. P&G CEO Bob McDonald often cites the campaign as a multimedia success. Old Spice reaped attention from millions of YouTube views and interactive elements such as videos with Mustafa answering submitted questions.

Fabio’s Old Spice TV commercials are running now.

For those who can’t believe it’s not Mustafa, Norton assures that he will be back pitching for the brand.