Skimpily clad women hurling themselves at a rather DUH! guy well has instilled 1000s more with the shining optimism that maybe you don’t need to be a foot ball star after all. AXE sure has given all goofy men some hope, reassuring them that they can go out in the arena of wolves and score with the best in the league.
Almost all-Indian products have treaded the path to titillation but more often than not it is usually tactless and despicable. Its true that sex sells almost anything from food to incense stick yet being lewd or plain cheap can have negative repercussions on the brand, a mistake committed by all advertisers.
I think AXE has to be credited for keeping their communication fresh with sexual yet youthful effervescence, without however looking risqué.
They first identified the problem- Most young men today find it difficult to approach young women for the fear of being rejected or even worse for the fear of being laughed at. AXE has gone out of its way to help these young men out, their communication totally scrapped the belief that being ‘cool’ is not the be all and end all of dating.
For this AXE set up an online training school to groom these clownish men and they did so by making the dos and don’ts of dating loud and clear. The ad said no matter what you do AXE will make you look cool anyway. Body odor is a total turn off and a complete no no in dating.
The initial phase of their communication showed a man pull off stupid moves (with aplomb) at a club, which became the hottest moves in town, the man soon found women falling all over him. The dance was popularized through their online training school, it was taught at dance schools and published in newspapers and magazines.
In their second phase AXE gave losers a passport to visit AXE land - an island that’s teeming with gorgeous women. This dream island is just a spray away and guarantees to titillate ones senses. What more is, one doesn’t need to know how to strum a guitar or play football!!! And for all the others who can’t make it to AXE land there are loads of goodies to be won.
Cheers
Dhivya
15 comments:
Aw... Come on! I've ***never*** heard of anyone who takes adverts like this seriously; let alone be influenced by it to such an extent.
It's only a corporate gimmick after all. Sometimes, they do tend to go overboard with all the frivolous stuff, but it's so ephemeral that people forget them faster than the banana peel in the garbage-bin.
Well I only said I love their communication besides I am into advertising so dont you think its only justified!
Knowing how to play football or how to strum a guitar doesn't help much either. No one knows what attracts women to men, not even women. It's a matter of desires versus options, really.
I don't quite think the idea behind the ad, as intended by the makers, quite gels with your interpretation of it but hey, I guess the cup can be half full too?
actually I think most axe ads suck.. wht kinda straight guy wud , if it all he has to, get influenced by the most-gay-ad i've ever seen.. and despite tht if their doin well in india.. well.. wht can i say???
Hey rahul...
I think most men try to floor women by strumming the guitar..even if they got the chords all wrong... Besides the sports guys have always been popular amongst women...all through school and college..anyway women are clear on the head about what they want...
cheers
Dhivya
Hey srips
I think AXE has taken the brand forward really well...and have kept their idea - the art of wooing a girl alive through out...besides they have been bang on men suck at it
cheers
ok i agree with you completely...if a guy needs a deo to woo a gal.. he totally sux! now i know wht kind of guy theyre talkin abt..
Hey srips...
True deo is not the end of the world..but hey body order can ruin it for a guy... besides I think the product is good as well..it just does not help to have a good ad for a lousy product, it wont sell!
cheers
Axe ads are always one of a kind. The jingle from Room 5 they used for an ad a few years back was one of the best, along with those dance steps. Some dont even know Room 5 created it :)
Room 5 - I like to party, the advert that really did it for Axe. Was it the song that made the ad a hit or vice versa is totally debatable but it certainly made people take note of brand Axe. There are a few ads that haven't made it to the Indian market and surely won't make it too, check them out @ http://www.visit4info.com
Search for Axe.
Room 5 - I like to party, the advert that really did it for Axe. Was it the song that made the ad a hit or vice versa is totally debatable but it certainly made people take note of brand Axe. There are a few ads that haven't made it to the Indian market and surely won't make it too, check them out @ http://www.visit4info.com
Search for Axe.
So *that's* what I've been doing wrong. I strum the right chords, god damnit! :)
Thanks for the tip, will try it out and let you know how it goes.
We put a man on the moon, but still haven't been able to find ways to impress a gal. Not emitting bad odour is one way of getting there...Still.. a long way to go!
Ur post made a lot of sense to me...
However after working in FMCG for two months, I discover its ads like AXE that work with the masses..
Call it crap or nonsense..
Its HLL thats laughing its way to the bank !
Anyways.. Nice Post
Venks (IIML)
Interesting post.
It is undoubtedly true that Axe/Lynx has carved a nice little niche for themselves in the world of deodorants. Creative usage of adage and pun seems to be their forte. However, I believe that more than it being every man's answer to the ever eluding question of how to lure a woman, it is their implicit marketing style that's seen them witness the market share they hold now.
When it was introduced as Ego by Unilever, the USP remained similar to what is seen now although the advertising was more explicit. The audience were explicitly told that Ego would protect u from body odour, contain bacteria yada yada while making you score with women.
The most fascinating part for me has been how their ads never had to be 'glocalised' so to say. The same ads that run in India runs all over the world with the same profound effect.
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