Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Axe Effect
A sloppy guy, a handful of skimpily clad girls and a deodorant that defies the laws of attraction. Put all of it together and you get the 'conventional' Axe commercial.
The Axe commercials are unique, carefully 'dirty' and rather explicit in its execution.As a woman, I've often felt all of my senses being subject to torture each time I came across an Axe ad.
But then again, its target audience seems to think otherwise. Which is why, the ads seem to be getting bolder with every campaign in spite of all the heavy criticism that it's being exposed to. In the Indian context, the Axe ad campaigns are generally looked upon as ads created in poor taste and are received with frowns and abuse aplenty.
The brand that was born in France in 1983, entered the Indian markets in 1999 to compete with other popular brands like Rexona and Denim. Since then there has been no looking back for Axe. The product does exceedingly well in the market and is Unilever's best selling brand world wide. The brand enjoys a market share of more than 35% in the India. It's constantly growing marketing figures seem to suggest that the Axe commercials, in spite of being at the receiving end of heavy criticism, have managed to successfully communicate its message to its target audience- 'YOUNG 'MEN.
The Axe commercials revolve around the pivotal idea that a guy who uses the product is more than likely to have girls jumping off cliffs and doing other mind- boggling things to get near him. The Axe campaigns drill in the same idea, repeatedly, in to the minds of the men. Though it comes across as a simple, straight forward thought, the commercials vividly demonstrate how a lanky, unappealing guy manages to have amazingly beautiful girls swooning all over him. This has managed to strike a chord with the male psyche. After watching an Axe commercial, an average young man would pick up a can the next time he goes shopping, to see what wonders the brand can do for him.
In spite of the growing popularity and acceptance of this brand, I have often noticed that there is an interesting section of men who use the product but shy away from acknowledging the fact that they do. They feel uncomfortable being explicitly associated with the product due to the messages that the brand's ads send out. They resist being perceived as men who are waiting for women to drool over them. This section prefers to quietly use the brand and enjoy its 'benefits' without being upfront about it.
Whatever be the ideology behind using Axe, its customer base only seems to be rapidly growing, and its commercials getting exceedingly bolder. Quite clearly,the brand has pronouncedly made evident The Axe Effect.
The Axe commercials are unique, carefully 'dirty' and rather explicit in its execution.As a woman, I've often felt all of my senses being subject to torture each time I came across an Axe ad.
But then again, its target audience seems to think otherwise. Which is why, the ads seem to be getting bolder with every campaign in spite of all the heavy criticism that it's being exposed to. In the Indian context, the Axe ad campaigns are generally looked upon as ads created in poor taste and are received with frowns and abuse aplenty.
The brand that was born in France in 1983, entered the Indian markets in 1999 to compete with other popular brands like Rexona and Denim. Since then there has been no looking back for Axe. The product does exceedingly well in the market and is Unilever's best selling brand world wide. The brand enjoys a market share of more than 35% in the India. It's constantly growing marketing figures seem to suggest that the Axe commercials, in spite of being at the receiving end of heavy criticism, have managed to successfully communicate its message to its target audience- 'YOUNG 'MEN.
In spite of the growing popularity and acceptance of this brand, I have often noticed that there is an interesting section of men who use the product but shy away from acknowledging the fact that they do. They feel uncomfortable being explicitly associated with the product due to the messages that the brand's ads send out. They resist being perceived as men who are waiting for women to drool over them. This section prefers to quietly use the brand and enjoy its 'benefits' without being upfront about it.
Whatever be the ideology behind using Axe, its customer base only seems to be rapidly growing, and its commercials getting exceedingly bolder. Quite clearly,the brand has pronouncedly made evident The Axe Effect.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)