Axe adapts raunchy ads for launch in Indonesia

The ‘Call me’ campaign, developed by BBH Asia-Pacific, consists of four TV spots and two print ads that stay close to the deodorant’s global positioning of giving men the edge in the mating game.

Mobile phones and the role they play in the courting game was the core consumer insight on which the ads were based.

They depict Indonesian women hopelessly attracted to men who spray on the deodorant, unaware of the draw of ‘the Axe effect’.

Ara Hampartsoumian, business development director at BBH Asia-Pacific, said: “Developing an Axe campaign in Indonesia was an exciting challenge for us as we needed to find a particular insight for this market. The ‘Call me’ campaign demonstrates a new, subtle way for men and women to connect.”

In the TV spots, everyday situations, such as visiting convenience stores, stopping at traffic lights or studying at the library, suddenly become sexually charged affairs for Axe users.

One spot features a woman at a deli counter writing her mobile number out with tomato sauce upon catching a whiff of the body spray. Another features a student picking up her man by pretending that she needs his mobile phone to find hers.

The print work features two female leads displaying their phone numbers in a poker game and on a laundry line. Marit Kievit, regional brand director for Axe Asia-Pacific, added that the campaign will hit the right spot with men all over Indonesia as the “quirky ads will cause a stir and create excitement”.

The campaign stars Indonesian Miss Universe 2007 contestant Agni Pratistha and soap opera actress, Asmirandah Zantman. Unilever sells and markets Axe in 75 countries globally and the Indonesia launch comes more than a year after Axe launched in Japan.

There, Unilever used viral videos featuring a boy snowboarding down a mountain with girls pursuing him.