Being sexy all the time with Axe

What's the first brand that pops into your mind when you think of male deodorants? I guess for more than half of the people it would be Axe, or Lynx as it's also popularly known as.

A Unilever product, Lynx has changed the perception of male deodorants. And this is primarily because of two things:

1) Its positioning
2) The advertising that very effectively supports that positioning.

Positioned as the 'Lynx/Axe Effect', the brand had a very clear message: use this and you are guaranteed to become absolutely irresistible and well, that is the effect- popularity with the ladies! And that's precisely how it changed the way the product category was perceived. Deodorants were no longer considered products that you used to combat body odor or sweat- now, it made you feel and smell sexy.

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Conveying the benefit of a product through visuals is a difficult task but Axe gets this bang on

Based on scientific evidence that 'human body odors are directly linked to sexual attraction', the positioning and advertising messages for Lynx/Axe were so successful that numerous smaller brands have started aping the brand's positioning. This of course has led to an idea/concept saturation in the market today. But let us not forget that the trendsetter was undoubtedly Lynx/Axe.

The advertising for the product plays an important role in making the product what it is in the minds of its consumers. For Axe/Lynx, it has always been uninhibited, bold, raw and most definitely, sexy. It has a certain 'shock appeal' to it which works brilliantly for the brand.  And here's how:

Theoretically, a 'shock appeal' works simply because it challenges consumers' existing notions or perceptions, and in a way, defies social norms. As a result, consumers are more likely pay attention to the advertising message and actually remember it.

Also, because the brand has 'shocked' consumers, there is a greater likelihood that it will create a buzz about the brand- consumers will start talking about it, discussing it and thereby, generate a certain word-of-mouth marketing without the brand actually investing costs in further exposure or coverage.

Axe/Lynx advertisements always shock. And sometimes they shock too much. For instance, when Axe released a chocolate-scented variant (Axe Dark Temptation), the television commercial for its launch stirred up quite a controversy, leading to banning the ad in several countries because of the extent to which it was regarded as 'inappropriate'.

The Axe Dark Temptation variant was advertised boldly enough to create a true sense of shock in its viewers

The television commercial featured a 'Chocolate Man' (resulting from spraying the deodorant) who walked around the city, breaking off chunks of himself or having chunks of himself being eaten by several women.


Originally starting out with only deodorants, Axe/Lynx today is also associated with a range of skin care products, in addition to product variants. This also means that the messages get sexier and hotter. With 'The Cleaner you are, the dirtier you get' campaign, Axe really took the brand to all new levels. Again, what's worth consideration is that not all brands can use print adverts brilliantly. But Axe seems to have consistently done that extremely well, enough for us to go 'whoa!'

The campaign beautifully combined the benefits of the product category (shower gels) and the brand positioning

But the thing is after a point, you start wondering: how much more can Axe go on about being sexy? Given the fact that almost every male deodorant brand is also singing the same tune, consumers reach a point when they're saturate of a single message being repeated in several manifestations. How then can you try and keep your brand fresh and new in the minds of your consumers? The brand's recent campaign answers that as well.

Launching a variant called Lynx Apollo, the brand has undertakes a huge campaign consisting of not only television advertising but also outdoor, public relations and digital. Lynx Apollo is the first brand to encompass every product item in the product line, which is why its campaigning is so huge.

While the message isn't as bold and shocking as the previous campaigns, it nevertheless conveys its broader message- having an edge over the men. And this time it does so with its tagline 'Leave a man. Come back a hero'.

As part of its campaign, Lynx has introduced a competition whereby the winner (s) get a chance to go  to space.

The television commercial does perfect justice to the tagline. It's smart and sleek, and is very Axe/Lynx-ish.

Check the commercial out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P_Mrj_UvJs to enjoy newest effect of Axe.

If there's one thing to learn from Axe, it is how to maintain the brand positioning. Axe has been in the market since 1983, and over the years, it has worked very well in retaining its positioning as a range of products that give men the look that gets them to be popular with women. Even in a saturated market like today, Axe has brilliantly managed to interpret its positioning differently, taking nothing away from the core essence of the brand and still occupying space in the minds of the consumers.

If you want to know how to keep at it as a brand, it's definitely the way Axe has done it!

The Brilliance That Is MTV Coke Studio

One of the best things happening to Indian television, and to music more broadly speaking, is MTV Coke Studio. It has everyone, who has ever seen it, gushing about it. And the show gives every reason to do so.

MTV Coke Studio itself is brilliant concept- bringing together singers and musicians from both mainstream and non-commercial fields together to make music that is soulful, melodic, and most importantly, absolutely enjoyable.

MTV Coke Studio premiered on Indian television in the summer of 2011

The show's wide-appeal is a sure shot factor contributing to its success- because of its eclectic music, it caters to different segments of the audience. Today, MTV Coke Studio is most certainly a brand that has: credibility, authenticity, visibility, trustworthiness and is definitely differentiated. It's a brand you know that will deliver a great 'product' (in this case, music/entertainment) experience.

But if we had to use our analytical thinking skills, could we also attribute the brand's success to its sponsors? In this case, obviously I'm talking about Coca Cola or as its popularly called, Coke, and MTV.

Think about it. Both these two brands are strong, they've been around for long and they're highly visible brands. I think it's highly likely that as the main sponsors for the show, not only did these two brands transfer, to an extent, their popularity to the show but also aspects of their brand identities.

Lets start with Coke. Today, it's one of the top 10 brands in the whole world in terms of strong brand equity, according to the 2012 Interbrand report.

The brand believes in opening happiness

What makes it such a top-notch brand? To quickly jot down a few reasons-

One, its packaging. The Coca Cola bottle is perhaps one of the recognized and popular packagings any brand has ever seen;

Second, longevity- the brand of cola has been around for years now (it was first introduced in 1886!), making it not only credible but also a brand consumers in over 200 countries can trust;

Third, is the brand's personality and identity- what it stands for, its values, how these resonate with consumers across markets, irrespective of linguistic, social and a multitude of other differences.

And fourth (this is linked to the third reason) is the way the brand has been positioned today- 'Open Happiness'. The brand is associated with happiness and everything that that entails- celebration, entertainment, fun, enthusiasm. The positioning says that with every bottle of Coke that you open, you're actually opening a little bit of happiness.

While Coca Cola is all about spreading the joy, MTV on the other hand is a little too hardcore in comparison. Started as one of the few (probably the only) television channels dedicated entirely to music. Of course, over the past few years, the brand has significantly moved on from music and ventured into products like reality shows. However, the fact that music continues to be its core product adds to its credibility.

The brand's all about keeping it real

Another reason for its popularity is its focus on the youth of India. It is, unequivocally, a youth-centric brand. The youth today is perhaps the most important audience segment any brand wants to target- it's a market that as a brand, you want to tap into and make a mark. What gives the brand a certain longevity (in terms of its focus on its primary audience) is the fact that it has always been a youth-oriented brand.

While a lot of brands are now realizing the potential that this market holds, MTV is not just in a 'been there, done that' mode but is using its position rather interestingly (the channel put together a study on how the youth can bring about a change as part of the Youth Marketing Forum in 2012).

The brand has evidently worked on positioning and repositioning itself in the market. Its recent positioning ('Stay Raw') rings truer to what the brand stands for today- a no-nonsense approach, devoid of all the jazz and shmazz- just being real and raw, exactly the way the youth of the country sees itself.

So when these 2 big brands come together to sponsor a product, what happens? One can only assume that the product will be nothing shot of something that will definitely hold your attention and keep you talking for quite some time.

Coke and MTV as individual brands, transfer some of their brand attributes when they come together to sponsor a product.

Longevity, credibility, the cause for celebration, it being a product that everyone can use- this comes with Coke and expertise in music, longevity, its focus on youth, its celebration of being different comes from MTV.

As a result, what you have is a product that is perceived to possess few or all of those attributes. Which is when promos for MTV Coke Studio began to air on TV, it stirred up a lot of attention simply because it was being endorsed by two well-known and 'good' brands.

But of course, it goes without saying that MTV Coke Studio is without a doubt, a show that will feed your souls with great music. So if you haven't seen it yet, catch hold of an episode NOW!