Axe is a popular male grooming brand, known for its deodorants
and controversial PR tactics. Yesterday, while watching online videos, I came
across with an Axe ad, focusing on “Showerpooling.”
In the “Showerpooling” viral campaign, the brand encourages
young men to share showers with a friend or an “attractive stranger.” Using sex
and the permeating message of the green-friendly movement to appeal the young male audience, the brand has created a
tongue-in-cheek video that supports the brand’s “edgy, cool” image.
Considering the video’s proposal for people to shower
with strangers, people are not expected to take the campaign seriously. And
given the chemicals produced from creating grooming products, I doubt the
sincerity of the brand’s green-friendly message. Nonetheless, I have to admit
that the campaign has engaged in an effective marketing strategy in stirring
discussions from Axe users, op-ed writers, and bloggers like myself. The video supports how in today’s age, sex continues
to play a significant role in marketing.
Despite the brand’s sexist and promiscuity overtones, the
company would not have decided to use this campaign if it would not have
stirred interest of the brand. This video serves us as a reminder that
companies use promotion that best appeals to their audience. Therefore, as
consumers, we cannot blindly buy into company’s marketing strategies and be
mindful of how we interpret the brand’s message.
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