Midterm: Axe

Remember in high school, when you would walk by the guy’s locker room after every gym class and all you could smell is the stench of what you knew was Axe. After a while you might have got headaches every time you smelled it and it just reminds you of the guys you went to high school with. This is exactly what Axe intended to happen, which is why I chose to profile the company. After I started learning about Advertising and Marketing, I would think back to certain products and wonder what kind of marketing they did and see if it ever had any effect on me. Axe was certainly one that did. The company is owned by Unilever and actually started out in France, which kind of surprised me. The first product was the fragranced aerosol body spray, it was a hit and soon Unilever wanted to expand into the whole European market but ran into problems when they tried going into The United Kingdom. Trademark problems forced Axe to be released as Lynx in the United Kingdom and also in Ireland. When the brand was launched in the United States, it was the most success they had yet.

From 1983 to 2010 there were more than 30 different fragrances released each year. Some of them are only released in certain countries where the marketers have done research and know that the fragrance will have appeal.

“A recent radio report dealing with AXE’s environmental problems in California (AXE was forced to reduce the quantity of propellants in its sprays to comply with clean-air standards)”

[1] http://www.nstperfume.com/2010/04/21/axe-twist-fragrance-review

Axe has had some Public Relations nightmares in their past. Because the product was created before the Green Movement started they’ve taken some blows about having an aerosol can as their main seller and not switching it. Also, in 2008 a 12-year-old boy died in a hospital in England. The coroner said that it was a result of spraying large amounts of Lynx in a confined space.

“It's supposed to be used to make you smell clean and fresh, but instead it's got many teens smelling smoke. In a phenomenon that's growing, teens are using Axe Body Spray to light themselves, their friends and objects on fire.”
[2] http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070928/axe_spray_070928?hub=EdmontonHome

I personally have seen boys that I went to school with do this and fortunately it didn’t end with injuries. But a lot of teens weren’t so lucky, there were numerous accounts of people being injured from the “mini flamethrower.”

Axe’s explains their competitors as Old Spice and also designer colognes that have fragrances or body washes sold at a lower price such as Marc Jacobs and Versace.

The identity and target market of Axe are very specific to young teen’s, they captivate the audience by showing campaigns about lame guys not being able to get any girls until they get the “Axe Effect.” In essence the marketers for Axe are using sex in order to capture their customer.