Axe (brand): Difference between revisions
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In many of the target countries, television [[advertisement]]s have portrayed the deodorant as being a major factor in attracting potential partners (the so-called ''Axe effect'' or ''Lynx effect''), and making somewhat dubious claims that the deodorant lasts for 24 hours. Advertisements for Axe bear overt sexual [[innuendo]]; some advertisements directly state that using Axe will assist the consumer in seducing women. |
In many of the target countries, television [[advertisement]]s have portrayed the deodorant as being a major factor in attracting potential partners (the so-called ''Axe effect'' or ''Lynx effect''), and making somewhat dubious claims that the deodorant lasts for 24 hours. Advertisements for Axe bear overt sexual [[innuendo]]; some advertisements directly state that using Axe will assist the consumer in seducing women. |
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It is mainly targated at younger consumers, specificly teens. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 21:38, 25 August 2006
Axe, or Lynx (see below), is a Unilever-owned brand of men's deodorant, body spray, and shower gel that is popular in North America, Europe, Australia, South America and South Asia. Axe was first launched in France in 1983, although Axe was first launched in South Africa in 1974 under the brand name 'Ego' by Unilever. Axe bodyspray is a body spray that made its debut in 2002.
Currently there are thirteen fragrances available (listed below). In the Americas, India, South Asia and mainland Europe, this product is sold as Axe. In Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom it is sold as Lynx. In Uruguay it was sold as "Lynx" until 2004.
In many of the target countries, television advertisements have portrayed the deodorant as being a major factor in attracting potential partners (the so-called Axe effect or Lynx effect), and making somewhat dubious claims that the deodorant lasts for 24 hours. Advertisements for Axe bear overt sexual innuendo; some advertisements directly state that using Axe will assist the consumer in seducing women.
It is mainly targated at younger consumers, specificly teens.
History
Axe was first launched in South Africa in 1974 under the brand name 'Ego' by Unilever. Following its success there, it was launched in France as Axe (1983) and grew to become available worldwide. In 2002, Ego was renamed to Axe in South Africa as part of Unilever’s efforts to globalize and consolidate their various brands.
In the UK
Axe was first launched in the United Kingdom under the name "Lynx" by Elida Gibbs Ltd. in 1985. It was the first body spray to be released as a stand alone product, not as part of a larger product range.
Initially it was available in three fragrances: - "Amber", "Musk" and "Spice". In 1987 this was extended to include the fragrance "Orient".
In 1988 shower gels were introduced to match the four fragrances of the body sprays. These were promoted by giving away free sample mini-packs of the shower gel with the deodorant.
By 1989 a new fragrance called "Marine" was released. Also in the same year, an aftershave was launched.
List of available fragrances
On the US Market, there are currently ten fragrances available in the Axe deodorant line excluding some limited editions.
- Essence
- Kilo
- Orion
- Phoenix
- Touch
- Tsunami
- Unlimited
- Voodoo
- Clix
- Apollo
Some limited edition Axe scents released on the US market include:
- Ready (limited edition)
- Recovery (limited edition)
- Relapse (limited edition)
- Willing (limited edition)
Internationally, a number of additional fragrances are available. While all of these can be found under the Axe brand, some are also sold under the Lynx brand.
- Accelerate
- Africa
- Air (limited edition)
- Alaska
- Anti-Hangover (limited edition)
- Atlantis
- Below-0 (limited edition)
- Click
- eau de Katherine
- Horny juice (limited edition)
- Dimension
- Gravity
- Ice (limited edition)
- Ignite (limited edition)
- Inca
- Java
- Jet
- Marine
- Mirage
- Musk
- Pulse
- Re.Load
- Sexy (limited edition)
- Silver Fusion (limited edition)
- White Label (limited edition)
Release of Clix
In 2006, Axe launched their newest fragrance Clix, again advertised as a way for men to attract women. The television ad for the product, also available on Axe's website at http://www.theaxeeffect.com/axeclix.html shows Nick Lachey using a tally counter to count how many women who would flirt back to him. In the ad he continuously gets flirted with by attractive women (and one guy) as he goes about his everyday business. At the end of the advert Lachey shows off his clicker score, 103, to a young working man in an elevator. His pride and dignity is ruined as the geeky-looking young man displays his enormous score, 2,372, on his own clicker, beating Lachey's score.
A practically identical ad was also made starring Ben Affleck for the Lynx label.
Advertisements
The popular 2003 UK advert for Lynx Pulse, featuring a man performing a spontaneous dance routine with some women in a bar, catapulted the accompanying track "Make Luv" to the UK No. 1 spot in the music charts when it was re-released by Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham.
The Lynx "Billions" Advert portrays billions of bikini clad women running through forests and swimming through oceans to reach a man. The advert was shown once on British national television. The advert has already reached near cult status.
Axe has also had a number of controversial, sexually explicit advertisements. These advertisements are generally released online before releasing it on television networks.
- In early 2006, Axe began marketing a body wash via a fictitious cult that helps men cleanse their bodies and conscience from questionable hook-ups. Axe Snake Peel is described as the "Sanctioned shower scrub of The Order of The Serpentine." [1]
- In mid-2005, an advertisement featured two frogs engaging in sexual intercourse. The ad also featured a man and a woman about to engage in the same. This advertisement has been revoked.
- Advertisement titled "Listening 101", featured a woman talking to a man, while he is being distracted. The distractions are a car, then a soccer game, followed by two lesbians making out, with blurs.
- The current advertising tagline for Axe (Lynx) in the UK is "Spray more. Get more."
Axefeather
Axefeather is a promotional website, in some ways similar to Burger King's Subservient Chicken website. Axefeather.com is part of Unilever's viral marketing campaign targeting 16-to-20-year-old men. The interactive site invites the viewer (with the phrase "Play with me") to tickle a picture of a scantily-clad woman with a feathered cursor. The interactive presentation was directed by Olivier Rabenschlag.
In Video Games
Axe released an online game for PC called Mojo Master to promote their products. The game has the player trying to seduce digital women using Axe products to help them out. An online component was also added to the game to enable further features to be unlocked and allow players to compete against each other.
Axe has advertised itself in several other video games, including:
- A stage of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory;
- In Burnout 3;
- In Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter;
- Throughout Need For Speed: Most Wanted;
- Inside a stage of Def Jam: Fight for NY.
In Television
Cooperating with MTV, an hour-long special known as The Gamekillers was produced in 2006. The show profiled various stereotypical characters who "ruin your chances at getting any" with their annoying habits that tend to break up dates. Around the same time Axe ran several similar "Gamekiller" ads featuring the same actors.
An advertisement is also found at the end of episode #56 of Aqua Teen Hunger Force