Kevan Roosa
Nicbolas Bush
English 1010
2 August 2021
The Irresistible Fragrance for Men
I remember the year in middle school when I started to do anything to be noticed by girls. I started to care more about the clothes that were bought for me and spent some extra time getting ready in the morning, I guess it really was more so focusing on how to peacock. However, as much as I tried to prepare I felt that I needed a leg up to compete with fellow classmates whom I also assumed were vying to gain the attention of girls. So I turned to my friend Fred, who always seemed to have a girlfriend, and questioned his technique. I wanted to be more of a ladies man and I felt he was the man that had that answer.
He convinced me that all I needed to do was spray Axe body spray on everything I wore and I would magically become this “ladies man” I dreamed of being. Needless to say this tactic was not very fruitful, but I did get noticed for my overwhelming scent. Little did I know at that time that there was much, much more that went into wooing a girl than just taking a bath in body spray. But hey, what did I know, as far as the commercials depicted I did everything I was supposed to do to have girls crawling all over me.
The Axe brand does a wonderful job in all their commercials of making it seem easy to be a ladies man just by scent. Through their advertising they promote this idea that women will fall head over heels at just the smell of their product. Then you will magically become more of a man. Through comedic relief I would find my attention attracted to following this brand. It seems that Axe paved a new road for male care products in this way.
https://www.hanloncreative.com/blog/sex-still-sells-for-unilevers-axe-but-for-how-long
This illusion that Unilever, the owner of Axe body spray, sells was created by their primary marketing firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Growing up I really identified with their campaign. However, I did not recognize that I was one of their targets, a young, teenaged, hormone enraged boy. By not directly addressing the target audience the marketing firm can certainly reach many different age groups. It always seemed to me that the actors portrayed in the Axe Body Spray commercials were a little awkward and uncomfortable with their ability to interact with others. Now I know that they use this as a ploy that allows the consumer to better identify with their product.
Hegarty, a partner of the marketing firm, was quoted to indicate how absurd this idea was. In one statement he reported, “We came up with this whole strategy about the Axe Effect and we touted this as some sort of amazing effect. We made it seem as if once you put it on, any woman would fall for you, which of course is nonsense.” Regardless of this claim, or many other instances where the dissection of the brands marketing proves to be nonsense, it has been largely successful. So how does a brand that is based on these things still survive?
The truth is that Axe may not be around forever, but it has revolutionized how commercials and different advertising strategies can permanently influence a specific audience and that will carry on for generations. This trend has occurred over and over again with so many different products. The fact of the matter is that companies no longer have to be honest or straightforward with you regarding their intentions. Instead, the method of manipulation and redirection has resulted in products being represented as something that they ultimately cannot realistically achieve.
https://medium.com/@rebeccaparamo/constitutive-rhetoric-the-axe-effect-a2b20595cd5c
Another good representation of this marketing technique is Victoria’s Secret. Their marketing strategy also seemingly targets that intangible goal that can be achieved simply by applying their products. It appears that over the years this façade has grown ever more prevalent because of the naïve target audience. I believe that this tactic is both genius and somewhat pathetic at the same time.
https://dearferrero.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/the-axe-effect-3/axe-chocolate-man-snack/
In conclusion I use axe products like their body wash but have grown wiser to their tactics in marketing their spray. I hope that parents teach their children to understand that commercials will try to persuade you in whichever direction they need to sell their product. One of the great benefits of living in the internet culture is that I can choose to pay for streaming services to avoid watching these ridiculous schemes. This also allows me and anyone else to research the products we buy in depth to decide whether we want them or not.
Works Cited
https://www.wise-geek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-persuasive-advertising.htm
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2020/2/12/21122543/axe-body-spray-teenage-boys-ads
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/advertising-techniques.htm
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-advertisements-commercials-10353.html
