- AXE is addressing one of the biggest issues many people have with its use: the tendency of young men to “overspray” to the point where the body spray’s scent becomes distracting.
- With a new campaign, “The History of Overdoing It,” AXE is introducing new spray technology that guarantees a lighter, more controlled application. In addition, the brand is launching a new scent, Midnight Amber, to its “Fine Fragrance” collection.
- The new campaign takes the action to the prehistoric age in one spot, where a man tries to lure a female companion by displaying a fish (likened to sending an unwanted lewd photo). She is obviously not interested, and a narrator/historian suggests he try AXE body spray instead.
The new sprayer technology was developed in response to consumers’ biggest complaint. The hope is to alter the narrative that has likened the use of AXE as being oversprayed or doing too much.
“The campaign represents us listening to our consumers and acknowledging their pain points about AXE’s overpowering fragrance cloud,” said Dolores Assalini, head of AXE US. “With their feedback in mind, we decided to own our legacy, and flip the script in today’s society by incorporating humor into our newest campaign and product launch.”
“Overspraying’ isn’t just a phrase, it reflects a real frustration that many of our consumers have voiced for years,” Assalini said. “Strategically, this approach modernizes the brand, aligns it with today’s preference for subtle confidence over excess, and evolves the products they’ve already loved but with better control and less overspray.”
The new technology sprays lighter and is more precise than previous applicators. Because it is a lighter spray, consumers can get up to 10% more sprays per can, providing them with more value for their purchase, Assalini said.
The campaign will take a social-first approach, running on the brand’s TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat channels, as well as on YouTube and other streaming services. The campaign will include other spots beyond the prehistoric version, and will also rely on influencer content and other activations throughout the year.
