Axe guns for younger set with fantasy push

Created by Unilever roster agency BBH Singapore, the multi-platform campaign is built around the 'Come to Axeland' concept, itself referring to a teenage male dream destination -- a whole island full of friendly girls. The initiative includes two lead TVCs, along with print, POS, activation events and a website -- www.cometoaxeland.com -- created in collaboration with Kilo Studio. Launching in India, the campaign will also extend to Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. The two TVCs showcase what the agency calls a 'typical Axeland situation' -- where ordinary guys with no discernible talent are regarded as stars in the eyes of the beautiful Axeland natives. In one execution, a teen male is swamped by adoring women despite being a woeful footballer, while another depicts a similar scenario for a budding guitarist. According to BBH Singapore managing director John Hadfield, the key to the campaign is the insight that the mating game is more fantasy than reality to the younger end of the 16- to 24-year-old demographic that Axe focuses on. "It's targeted a little younger, because recruitment is a bigger issue in Asia," explained Hadfield. "The younger you are, the greater the chance that you're fantasising about, rather than dealing with, the opposite sex. Ultimately, guys will buy Axe because they think it's cool." The campaign goes deeper than other Asian Axe thematic drives of recent years. The website, for example, allows users to create their own Axeland videos using a range of visual elements, and also features a 'Catfight alley' and tourist guide to the island. The print work, meanwhile, offers four different maps to the island, depending on whether the medium is public or private. One map points out the various places of interest, which include 'The world's largest trampoline' and 'Mile-high airport', while another offers a tongue-in-cheek weather forecast, and a third a suggestive subway map. Unilever regional vice-president of the home and personal care category, Gina Lorenzana, pointed out that Axe needs to be relevant for men in the 16 to 19 age range. "We needed to get them in as early as when they start getting interested in girls," said Lorenzana. "The reality of these young men, sadly, is that they are not really that successful in the mating game. So, creating a land based on their fantasy -- Axeland -- is a brilliant way of showing them what life would be like once they have the Axe effect. Humour is definitely making this place more appealing, and is a direction which is consistent with the way the brand communicates to its audience." POS includes tourist guide leaflets and stands, while internal Unilever communications comprise a passport and knapsack, along with a range of Axeland collateral. "We are finding that traditional advertising is engaging less and less well with a youth audience," said Hadfield. "Recognising this, it's important to communicate in a way that gives the consumer a greater opportunity to engage with the brand on their terms. Thus the consumer can access the Axeland idea through different channels and, if they want, it even allows them to create their own content."