The Evolution Of The AXE Effect

How AXE's New Ad Taps Into An Evolving Vision Of Masculinity

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you see the words “AXE fragrance”? I’ll go out on a limb here and guess: you might be imagining a certain breed of male, circa 2008, dressed up to go out and “pick up,” his hair a gelled-up masterpiece inspired by Jersey Shore. He’d leave a strong aroma of AXE body spray in his wake, as he’d completely douse himself in the stuff before leaving the house (actually, it’s quite possible that he carried the body spray in his back pocket all night, just in case he might need to “freshen up”).

With its new campaign, AXE is looking to change that impression, presenting a far more nuanced vision of modern masculinity that encourages men to to embrace their own individuality, whatever that may be. (Disclosure: I was hosted by Unilever, AXE’s parent company, on a recent press trip.) Grounded in an invitation to #FindYourMagic, the latest ad (see below), which aired during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, is a refreshing departure from the one-size-fits-all mentality of earlier decades.   

Mass Appeal: The Legacy

Before we get into the AXE of today, let's take a look at where the brand was. The AXE marketing campaigns of the early 2000’s were so successful that the images of women throwing themselves at the guy drenched in AXE were successfully burned in our collective minds, just as the strong stench of the stuff burned in our nostrils. Appealing to a demographic of young men between the ages of 15-25, the brand brought all of its humorous, irreverent, “edgy” marketing muscle to the fore in order to position itself as a catalyst for attraction, and guys who hadn’t previously given much thought to grooming themselves got onboard, lured by the promise of the “AXE Effect.”

So-called “secret weapons” don’t work so well when they’re out in the open, though. As we entered the second decade of the 21st century, the sinister and manipulative trickery of PUA culture was exposed, and no surprise, women found the wannabe alpha male’s “methods,” like “negging,” absolutely horrifying, and recoiled at any such advance. Trends changed. The AXE-drenched dude became a caricature, a guy who mistakenly put all the emphasis on external tricks and props. The overpowering scent of a man drenched in body spray became more a turn-off than a magnet for women; more a joke than a status symbol.

The brand didn’t change overnight, though. A problematic 2013 AXE ad campaign suggested guys just simply aren’t capable of controlling themselves in the presence of an attractive woman, and campaigns like this exposed just how outdated the company’s go-to marketing strategies had become. “Boys will be boys” just didn’t cut it anymore. There’s no doubt AXE’s pervasiveness in high-school hallways circa 2007-2010 played a role in the increased openness of guys toward grooming in general, and a generation of young men raised on the drugstore spray moved on adopt other grooming products, contributing to the strength of what is now a multi-billion-dollar global grooming industry.

The End Of “One Size Fits All”

For every guy who “graduates” from AXE, moving on to more sophisticated products, a new crop of high schoolers emerged, ready to be marketed to. And men’s grooming is increasingly the “norm”: the industry is throttling full-speed ahead, offering up a more diverse array of men’s grooming products every year. Not so very long ago, a guy was pretty much set if he could buy shampoo, a bar of soap, a razor, shaving cream, toothpaste, and deodorant. Today, men expect that the products they purchase will address their specific, personal grooming needs and concerns. It doesn’t look like the personalization trend will taper off anytime soon, as the range of options available for men’s grooming products continues to expand, and as companies start to investigate the possibilities inherent in products tailored to their users' genetics.

While AXE may not bring this degree of personalization into its product line anytime soon, it did make moves toward diversifying its product line and changing its approach to connecting with men. Life coach and scent expert Jason Nik breaks down the shift: “Some guys will buy into fragrances to attract women, but in many ways I think it will be better if you get it to make you more confident. If you like it, it will make you more confident, and that works even better.” Veering away from the cookie-cutter “bottled confidence” offerings of its past, AXE left it up to the user to build his own personal brand on top of the White Label line, released in 2015.

With the White Label line, AXE turned away from pitching its products as the ultimate source of attraction. Instead, the brand took on more of a supporting role to the guy actually wearing them, "walking its talk" with the AXE Collective mentorship project, through which the brand invites up-and-coming young artists to apply to be mentored by John Legend and have an opportunity to show their work either at SXSW or TIFF. The White Label campaign featured ads in which class hierarchies are turned on their heads: it doesn’t matter if a guy is a doctor or a bellboy — the way he carries himself, and the confidence he projects, hold the same potential to turn heads.

AXE’s new Advanced Collection offers up a greater range of options within its product line than ever before. This time, instead of encapsulating a scent within a descriptive name (which, over the years, has seen names like “Intense,” “Armor,” and “Dark Temptation” — you know, the chocolate one), the ingredients that make up each scent are at the fore ("Tobacco & Amber, for instance"), making this line feel a bit more Tom Ford than Jersey Shore. And interestingly, body sprays are noticeably absent from the new product lineup: you can get a dry spray antiperspirant, but that’s as far as it goes. 

The New Masculinity

With #FindYourMagic, AXE liberates itself from its past brand baggage to engage with consumers in a new kind of way. It’s no longer about fitting the “babe magnet” mold. Instead, guys are encouraged to figure out what works for them, and build their own confidence around — gasp — themselves! According to Matthew McCarthy, Senior Director, AXE & Men's Grooming for Unilever, “Masculinity today is going through seismic changes. More than ever, guys are rejecting rigid male stereotypes. We've been part of guys' lives for decades, and AXE champions real guys and the unique traits that make them attractive to the world around them.” With its pivot toward owning one’s personal style, AXE has attached itself to a 2016-worthy vision of masculinity: you are whatever you make yourself.