Babasaheb Gawade Institute

of
Management Studies

SUBJECT
MARKETING MANAGEMENT

TITLE
MARKETING PLAN FOR
UNILEVER’S AXE DEODORANT

Submitted To: Prof. C. D’ Souza

Submitted By: Renita Dennis
MMS II A
Roll No.14
 Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Situational Analysis (PEST)
3. SWOT Analysis
4. TWOS Analysis
5. Porter’s Analysis
6. Competition Analysis
7. Consumer Analysis
8. Segmentation
9. Targeting
10. Positioning & Branding
11. Marketing Strategies
 Creative Strategy
 Media Strategy
 Public Relations
 Interactive/Online
 Retail Marketing
 Digital Media Strategy
12. Brand Format & Extensions
13. Marketing Mix
 14. Sustaining Growth & Market Share
Bibliography

1. Introduction

An Icon for sure Axe is a success story that is so difficult to emulate. One can only
marvel and enjoy. Axe has got every thing perfect for its success, it got its segments
correct, and the targeting was exemplary and positioning: something to drool for. And
more over Luck was on its side.

Axe was born in France in the Year 1983 by Unilever. It was inspired by another of
Unilever's brands Impulse. Impulse was a fragranced deodorant body spray for women
that promised wearers male attention. Unilever were keen to capitalize on Axe's French
success and rolled it out in the rest of Europe from 1985 onwards, later introducing the
other products in the range. Unilever were unable to use the name Axe in the UK and
Ireland due to trademark problems so it was launched as Lynx.

The European launch of the deodorant was followed by success in Latin America and
moderate impact in Asia and Africa. In the new millennium the brand has launched with
great success in the U.S. and Canada. The company has also consolidated its deodorant
portfolio by migrating other over-lapping male deodorants into the Axe brand such as
South Africa's Ego brand.

26 years later, this brand is Unilever's Best selling brand worldwide. It has an iconic
status in whichever market it has entered.

Axe deo was launched in India during 1999 . It has become the leading male deodorant
brand in India within just one year of its launch.
Hindustan Unilever offer Axe deo. Axe, the deodorant that is considered cool,
fashionable and stylish by young men is available in more than 60 countries around the
world, it is a world leader in male toiletries Axe has a mix that is completely harmonized
globally - from its proposition and communication to the product, as available on the
shelf.

2. Situational Analysis

Political/ Legal Environment

Axe’s Chocolate Deo Ad raises stink with Govt.

THE AXE EFFECT focuses on the increased attention males receive from eager, and
attractive, female pursuers simply because of wearing AXE deodorant and body sprays.
To communicate this message, Axe uses dirty advertising which gets the brand into
trouble with the government.

For instance, the advertisement of Axe's 'Dark Temptations' deodorant shows a male
model wearing the chocolate-smelling deodorant, eliciting “objectionable reactions” from
women.

Keeping in line with its crackdown on suggestive advertisements being televised,

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) took strong objection to the promotional
campaign of the brand, terming it indecent, vulgar and repulsive.

The Ministry asked the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to advise the
advertisers "to refrain from airing the said advertisement".
A copy of the complaint had also been forwarded to the secretary general of Indian
Broadcasting Foundation asking them to advise broadcasters to air the advertisement only
after precautionary measures have been taken to avoid some objectionable portions. The
advertisement was eventually pulled off the air.

Economic Environment

Axe caters to the medium and the high income class consumers. It targets the urban
metrosexuals. It is priced at a premium. It has its market in developed and developing
countries like France, United States, Canada, and other countries of Europe, Latin
America, Asia and Africa.

Social Cultural Environment

Man's obsession with woman and woman's suspicion of man's motives for this obsession
are deeply rooted archetypes that are well documented through the ages. However, it is as
true today as it ever was that “the course of true love never did run smooth”.

A man’s interest in woman is greatest, but he lacks the charm or knowledge to know how
to engage her as she would wish.

Anything that promises to help young men attract women plays to a large and attentive
audience.
Advice in this area is not a new phenomenon as it was proffered over two millennia ago
in the Kama Sutra which provided information to the young man on how to get the girl.
Today's men's magazines such as FHM, Maxim and Arena are full of hints and tips on
how to get the girl, although approaching a girl with the chat up line, 'My bed is broken,
can I sleep in yours,' lacks some of the charm of those in the Kama Sutra.
Keen to help men's confidence in this area, Unilever launched the Axe brand providing a
fragranced deodorant body-spray that smelled so irresistible that it attracted members of
the opposite sex.

Man’s desire for women will be of eternal existence in society and Axe has taken
advantage of this desire. However, Unilever began to face a problem with its two brands
having contradicting values.

Unilever’s brand ‘Dove’ used around the world encourages women to look at beauty in a
different way. It encourages them to recognise 'real' beauty. It boosts their self esteem.
On the other hand, Axe revolved around young men who found that Axe could make
them irresistible to women. The women in question were objects in every sense. The
problem was the utter contradiction between the two efforts. Dove told women they
should embrace their own unique, if imperfect, beauty. Yet the Axe used the very types
of unachievable 'beauty' that Dove seemed to want to eliminate.

Technological Environment

Axe has recognised the technological advancement. It is aware that its consumers are
techno savvy. Hence to reach its customers and to know them better, it has gone beyond
the television advertisements to internet advertisements. To interact with its 60,000-user
base it launched its website ‘axeffect.com’
The content of axeffect.com is specially designed to take a guy from boredom into the
land of Axe – The land of seduction. The website has sections on the funkiest grooming
trends across the globe which can make a man cool and very very Axey. It is a youth –
centric website rather than being an Axe website.

3. SWOT Analysis

Strengths

 It is the leading male deodorant brand in India, established leader in Europe and Latin
America and world's most popular male grooming brand.

 It has a variety of fragrances thus ensures that the customers are constantly engaged
with new fragrances and campaigns.

 It understands the emotions of men.

 Its effective advertisements help communicate with its target audience easily.

 Excellent track record of advertising awards, including 10 Cannes Lions.

 The active formula of Axe Deodorant gives continuous, effective protection against
perspiration odors during the whole day.

 Customer Loyalty – Customers are deeply attached to the brand that they want to own
all the variants of the brand.
Weaknesses

 Its advertisements can hurt the opposite sex

 Axe has not set up an extensive manufacturing base in India as a result of which
many of their products are imported from factories towards the east. This has
pushed the prices of the deo spray up.

Opportunities

 Axe can easily diversify into new product lines

 It can establish new markets, thus increasing its global market share.

 It can set up its manufacturing base in India.

Threats

 Competition from Indian brands like Set Wet Zatak.

 In India, Axe may face government interference.

 The strong values of the Indian society may affect its brand image.
4. TWOS Analysis

Opportunities Threats

 With strong customer  Competition from

loyalty, Axe can easily Indian brands like
diversify into new Zatak
product lines
 In India, Axe may
 It can establish new face government
markets, thus interference.
increasing its global
market share.
 The strong values
 It can set up its of the Indian
manufacturing base in society may affect
India. its brand image.

Strengths

 It is the leading male As a leading brand with a With a strong position in

deodorant brand in strong the market & being the
India, established Position in the deodorant leading deodorant brand, it
leader in Europe and market, it can diversify into can easily compete.
Latin America and new product lines & enter new
world's most popular markets.
male grooming brand

 It has a variety of Its brand variants definitely Its brand variants give it an
fragrances thus help gain customer loyalty and advantage over its
ensures that the a bigger market share. competitors. Moreover, it
customers are can retain its customers
constantly engaged without loosing them to its
with new fragrances competitors.
and campaigns. It Due to its emotional
 understands the approach, it is in a better
emotions of men position than competitors.

With effective advertising, Axe should take care not

 Its effective Axe enhances its brand to violate culture; it should
advertisements helps awareness, thus gaining not cross limits in its ads.
communicate with its market share & can easily This will help curtail
target audience easily diversify. government interference.

Strengths

Axe can easily diversify due to It can take over its

 Customer Loyalty – its customer loyalty. competitors with no
Customers are deeply problem.
attached to the brand
that they want to own
all the variants of the
brand.

Weaknesses
 Its advertisements As a leading brand, its need to
can hurt the have a good corporate image,
opposite sex thus, respecting the opposite
sex is essential. It should not
cross the limits in the
advertisements.
By respecting the opposite
sex, it can avoid
government interference &
the strong values of the
Indian culture may also not
be affected.

 Axe has not It can invest in India by By establishing its

set up an starting its manufacturing hub manufacturing hub in
extensive in India. India, it can reduce the
manufacturing market price of the deo
base in India sprays. This way it can
as a result of easily get a competitive
which many of advantage.
their products
are imported
from factories
towards the
 east. This has
pushed the
prices of the
deo spray up.

5. Porter’s Analysis

Threat from
Competitors
- Increasing/ High Threat from
- Set Wet Zatak, Substitutes
Threat from - Low
Gillette, Old Spice - Cologne
New Entrants
- Low - Body Talc
- Wild Stone - Roll Ons

AXE
DEODORANT

Bargaining Power Bargaining Power

of Suppliers of Customers

- Low - Low
 Porter’s 5 Forces for Axe

Threats from new entrants

The level of threat from new entrants is very low such as Wils Stone. This is due to Axe’s
customer loyalty & leading position in the market.

Threats from competitors

The level of threat from the domestic competitors like Set Wet Zatak
is increasing due to the high price of Axe. However, with its strong branding
Axe clearly dominates the market.

Among the three major deodorant body spray/cologne brands in the U.S., Unilever's Axe
has quickly become the most popular, beating out competing entries from Procter &
Gamble (Old Spice) and Gillette (Gillette Series).

Threats of substitutes
Competition from substitutes like body talc for men like Avon is very low.
Threat from cologne is medium. Men consider Axe more of cologne than a deo spray.
They also prefer Axe to cologne as it is cheaper & suits all occasions. However, there are
many target customers who still prefer Cologne.
Threat from roll ons like Nivea Roll On is low as Axe Deodorant Roll on is available.

Bargaining Power of Customers

Bargaining power of customers is fairly low as demand is very high for Axe deo spray of
Rs. 150 for a net contain of 150ml. Customers are ready to pay a high price for Axe
because it makes them feel irresistible & them a edge in the mating game.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Bargaining power of suppliers is low as the demand from customers is very high.
Thus, they need to stack their shelves with Axe deo sprays
6. Competition Analysis

Axe v/s. Competitors

Competitive male grooming brands took notice of the new product form that Axe
introduced to the US (deodorant body spray) and launched competitive (and in the case of
TAG, Gillette's new body spray identical looking) products.

Additionally competitors began to mirror the 'emotional' approach Axe had taken
to communicating. Before Axe, the category spoke very rationally to guys, showcasing
gloriously sweaty armpits and high tech solutions to keep you sweat free. Axe
differentiated itself by speaking emotionally, with no mention of product efficacy in any
communication. The promise of the 'Axe Effect' was incredibly simple. Spraying on this
product can help get girls. Girls simply love the smell of it. The 'Axe effect' became part
of their targets vernacular, and strong fragrance credentials were established for the
brand.

Among the three major deodorant body spray/cologne brands in the U.S., Unilever's Axe
has quickly become the most popular, beating out competing entries from Procter &
Gamble (Old Spice) and Gillette (Gillette Series).

Axe has now like many companies set it’s sights on India and for a sector that many
aren’t interested in, the competition from Indian brands has just begun and is on the way
to becoming bigger.

Axe’s entry into India was based on it simply ‘testing the waters’ as such. The deodorant
industry in India had been largely unorganized. Men-the gender Axe exclusively make
products for have long relied on traditional methods to remove body odor and for many
it’s not even been an issue.
 But Axe knew that by creating awareness about their
brand and what it could do, they’d be successful. It’s a
mantra that has worked. Axe initially relied on a system of
flooding Indian shops with their deodorants. They simply
relied on the shop owner to sell their product to any male
who was looking for a deodorant.

Axe weren’t novel using this method. It had and

continues to be done even today by multinational
deodorant brands like Nike and Adidas but the fact that
they constantly reacted to the demand for the spray by
increasing supply has helped them to become leaders in the field.

Axe have however been hit by their pricing strategy. They have not set up an
extensive manufacturing base in India as a result of which many of their products are
imported from factories towards the east. This has pushed the prices of their spray up and
it’s been this feature that rival deo sprays, especially Indian are looking to exploit.

To combat this axe has launched a cheaper range of deo’s in India under the
Rexona brand. Both Axe and Rexona are run by the Unilever group.

Axe’s Competitors

The Zatak brand is seen as the direct competitor to Axe which is also doing well because
it’s been pricing its products cheaper. It’s also been around for longer than Rexona in the
men’s department.

Pricing aside, there’s the question of branding and this is where Axe clearly
dominates. Their advertising campaigns are aimed at young men with catchy slogans and
slightly provocative ads which as bold as they’ve been, have been successful in pushing
up their sales.

It’s also prompted their competitors to launch their own campaigns with Zatak’s latest
campaign taking a bold dig at Axe in their own ads signifying for the first time in three
years that the smaller David is looking to slay the bigger Goliath. Whether this will
happen is something to be seen.

For Axe the way forward will require them to bring the prices of their products
down and look to set up a manufacturing hub in India. For Zatak, it’s about
consolidating their position without losing out their consumers to newer entrants.

7. Customer Analysis / Behaviour

Mike Bloom, senior vice-president for drugstore chain CVS Corp., says he has never
seen such an explosive launch in the deodorant aisle, nor a product that drove as many
young men to those shelves. "They're buying two to three cans at once," says Bloom.

Axe understands its customers, the male demographic and reaches out to them with the
right variants. It boost young guys self confidence and gives them a strong position in the
mating game.

Men of all ages from teenage boys to adults are the buyers of Axe deodorant.

It is the leading male deodorant brand in India, established leader in Europe and Latin
America and world's most popular male grooming brand. Its success, buyer satisfaction
and customer loyalty can be best understood by some of the following customer reviews:

What I like about the Axe deo-

1. Axe Effect Really last long

Catering to my office needs working round the clock sometimes (experts call it 24 / 7,
makes your vocabulary sound sexy) , I feel the faint axe effect when I take a shower, 14
hours after I sprayed it on

2. It gives a refreshing and energetic feeling.

3. It is neither too loud nor too subtle. But after one sprays it on one self, one’s presence
becomes more appealing.

4. It is less expensive. In a way, It is expensive no doubt, but less expensive. I almost use
a can a month, if used generously.

5. You can use it for any occasion. Usually some perfumes aren’t right for parties or
functions.

- Davie Boy (Employed at Dell)

I bought ’’VooDoo’’ as my first scent...I like it alot. I’m very intrigued by some of the
other scents and plan to buy them soon. Use it across the body...about a 2 second spray,
and you should be good for awhile. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it’s a tad
pricey at $4 something a can. I would have bought more at once if it was a little cheaper.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. Smell is the sense that is remembered more
than anything...I know I want to be remembered!

- Mark Smith (college student)

The Dark Temptation is the best Axe deodorant spray. I got mine like a couple months
ago while I was in Hawaii and when I got it I did not want to use it all...the chicks like it
at my school, they tried to steal it from me one time.

I really can't imagine why Axe wouldn't market this permanently, the stuff's great.

- Shay (high school teenager)

I have guy’s colleagues at work that wear many of the Axe products...not all at once
though. I could follow them around all day! Love this product and its great scents!

- Siren Singh (employee at Writers Ltd.)

Axe Deodorant Body Spray was targeted for Men but commercials and ads appealed to
the teenage boys and now the Middle School hallways smell of AXE! Not only did I
witness this first hand, my friend; the Algebra Teacher confirmed. Teenage boys across
America are in love with AXE Body Spray, My 13 year old son included.

He loves Axe. He uses the AXE deodorant, body wash and body spray. He applies it
liberally and it all but gags me out of house and home. The scent is STRONG.
Overwhelmingly strong. In defense of AXE, it does cover up the teenage boy sports
sweat smell quite well.

- Crystal Bush (Mother of a teenage son)

I have tried most of the fragrances and not all of them are good, but I try it because I like
the brand. That is the power of brand

- Harish B (analyst & customer)

8. Segmentation

It is geographically classified across national boundaries like France, United States, and
India, countries of Latin America, Asia and Europe. Further, it is classified within the
national boundaries according to states. Then finally into urban and rural areas.

The market is divided demographically, that is, male and female.

Further, it is classified into age groups like 16 yrs and below, 16 – 25yrs. & 25yrs. and
above.

9. Targeting

Axe is the naughtiest brand in the Indian market. The brand is targeted at male aged 16-
25. Internationally this brand targets male aged 15-25. It targets all 'Young at heart"
naughty guys -pre-adolescent boys to aging men, from college students to corporate
executive on the go.
10. Positioning & Branding

The master brand mission is 'giving guys the edge in the mating game'.

The brand has its brand values of Cool, Fashionable and Stylish. And world over, the
brand sticks to its core values. The biggest strength of this brand is the underlying
message or the DNA which is that the brand users are high on Confidence and always for
the Axe users, Girls Makes the First Move. The biggest competitive advantage of this
brand is its complete monopoly over this brand proposition. All its campaigns
revolve round this central theme of Seduction where Girl makes the first move.
It has lot of subliminal implications. The brand assumes that Men want (Likes) to be
seduced. That feeling (of being seduced) gives a big boost of self confidence to a man.
Although many brands take this proposition, Axe just made it perfect.

Moreover, its parent company is Unilever, which has a strong position in the fast
moving consumer goods global market.

11. Marketing Strategies

 Creative Strategy

Developing the Right Positioning for Axe

Instinctively, they gravitated to leveraging their fragrance credentials. The fragrance

message had worked brilliantly for the body spray, proving to be a plausible, credible
conduit to attracting the ladies.

 Media Strategy

Dirty Media

Media needed to ensure Axe’s 'dirty message' reached a mass audience, and
continued to surprise and delight guys, hitting them when they least expected it. A
'dirty media' strategy was devised to amplify the brand’s dirty messaging. The company
wanted to hit guys as best as they could when they were either having 'dirty thoughts' or
indeed doing 'dirty things'.

Mass Media
Placement of the TV advertising including Baywatch, Blind Date, Laguna Beach, My
Super Sweet 16, Next, The Real World, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Movie
Placement in American Pie 3 and the Hot Chick. Print steered the creative to dirtier babe
laden titles such as Playboy magazine, FHM, Stuff and Maxim.

Television

When Unilever first launched Axe in the U.S. in 2002 -- at a stroke inventing a whole
new male grooming subcategory called body spray -- it relied more heavily on television.
The first ads were certainly sufficiently racy to catch young guys' attention: They
showed beautiful women ravishing store mannequins that had been sprayed with Axe.
Unilever also deployed Axe Angels -- girl-next-door types who roamed store aisles lifting
men's shirts and spraying them with Axe.

“Bom Chic A Wah Wah”

A new campaign for Axe body sprays which replaces the “Axe Effect.” The spots in this
campaign again show women taken out of their normal routine by the effects of Axe
body spray. In one execution, a woman is preparing for a date with her man but when

She arrives at the restaurant she is distracted by waiter carrying bread. She bursts out
with the phrase “Bom Chic A Wah Wah” while undulating. Then she catches herself and
looks embarrassed. A second execution has a woman teaching English to a group of
foreign students when a teenager enters and she repeats the Bom Chic A Wah Wah and
shimmy which the foreign students repeat.

Others

Newspaper
Consumer Magazine
Point of Purchase

 Public Relations

Unilever spent $31 million on Axe from August 2002 through this August, per
TNS/CMR. A noteworthy consumer promo includes the Axe mannequin it named
"Quinn," who gets dragged to events like the VH1 awards show and other venues
attracting young guys (Quinn first started appearing in TV ads as having so much
charisma after being dosed with Axe, women can't keep their hands off of him). Unilever
also spent a lot of time building partnerships with under the radar young guy Web sites
like Liquidgeneration.com, and College TV.

Axe Launch in Canada

The Axe account team at Edelman PR in Toronto and Montreal co-ordinated the
Montreal leg of the tour with Montreal's Segal Promotions. They threw a huge street
party at Crescent and De Maisonneuve streets from 7-11 p.m. on Nov. 30,2002. Canadian
acts Treble Charger, the Rascalz and Montreal hip-hop rhymster Spek played free to an
audience that Edelman senior account co-ordinator Patty Chung estimated at 10,000 in
number. Quebec emcee Caroline Neron hosted the night and played interactive games
with the audience.

"We'll actually have Axe Angels and they'll be giving out samples," said Chung shortly
before the event. "That's a big initiative of Axe - to actually get it in the hands of the
consumer. We're not spraying it in the air. We give out samples at the end so people don't
go spraying six different scents in everyone's face."

 Interactive/Online

As Facebook and MySpace have grabbed media attention. MySpace has 59 million
unique users, it offers advertisers targeting capabilities. Axe and many other trendy youth
brands, such as have taken notice of both the numbers and the targeting. Axe has its ads
flash on the webpage when the user is online.

Online, Axe bought banners in Sports Illustrated at a time that their swim suit edition of
the magazine was running and ran a unique insert in SI Swimsuit Issue.
The cool web initiatives of this brand :
Axe- feather
Axe Effect
Axe Phenomenon
and also a blog called Evan and Gareth

Other Supporting Communications Programs

Additionally, Axe dominated the time and place where guys are dirtiest: Spring break.
Axe effectively owned two of the largest spring break destinations for college guys in the
country. Media bought at spring break included bar posters, hotel shower curtains, hotel
mirror clings, floor stickers in hotel lobbies, cups in bars, bar
napkins, elevator wraps, beach posters and bus wraps.

 Retail Marketing – in-store events

Another low-cost Axe innovation is retail placement. At Unilever's suggestion, mass

outlets with greater space flexibility, including Wal-Mart and Target, have spread Axe
beyond the deodorant section, placing it in manly aisles like automotive and electronics.

Sampling on university campus

Sampling handouts in cinema
Health Clubs

 Digital Media Strategy

Unilever started out allotting roughly 60 percent of its advertising budget to television,
but it has since winnowed that down to about 30 percent, pouring more money into
offbeat alternatives. "If my guy is spending 12 hours a week playing games and nine
hours watching TV, I have to go to videogames," marketing director Kevin George
explains.

The streaming videos plus downloads from www.theaxeffect.com to cell phones and
Sony PlayStations this summer, a video game, blogs, and chatrooms are all helping Axe
keep its position as the top-selling male body spray,with 80% of the market.

It targets young men and they are a uniquely challenging demographic for a marketeer.
They attract a huge amount of attention from other brands, yet their active lifestyle and
love of new technology means they are rarely at home sitting in front of the television
waiting to see your ads.

Therefore, Unilever and their ad agencies are downgrading the importance of the 30-
second TV spot. Unilever believes that if it can create compelling entertainment on the
Net and in game venues where guys spend time, it can foster brand loyalty. "This is all
about going beyond the 30-second TV commercial to create a deeper bond with our
guy," says Unilever Marketing Director Kevin George

There's a series of short videos on EvanandGareth.com, which follows two regular guys
as they try to pick up chicks.Unilever is counting on the evanandgareth.com video blog
to keep the buzz going. The consumer-goods giant enlisted Conductor, a Santa Monica
(Calif.) marketing firm that promoted the Spiderman films, to help launch the site in
April, 2005.

On May 18 an online video game called Mojo Master appeared; players could
test their moves on virtual vixens using their home PCs.

The result of all this Axe wielding?

Besides the commanding market share lead, Mike Bloom, senior vice-president for
drugstore chain CVS Corp., says he has never seen such an explosive launch in the
deodorant aisle, nor a product that drove as many young men to those shelves. "They're
buying two to three cans at once," says Bloom.

Mobile networks provide access to a group of young consumers who don’t spend much
time online. According to Juniper Research, the number of users of mobile chat and
dating services worldwide is expected to rise from 40 million in 2007 to 260 million in

2012, with revenue expected to exceed $1 billion in 2010.Axe has taken notice of both
the numbers and the targeting.

Unilever’s Axe brand wanted to target 18-24 year-old males on a dating-oriented mobile
social network to its extend,a new online mini-film was made.The spoofy five-minute
video, “The Axe Vice Naughty to Nice Program,” about sex-hungry women, was
created by Bartle Bogle Hagerty and appears on Axe’s Web site.
The company worked with AirG and mobile agency Ad Infuse (with input from BBH and
media agency MindShare) to develop a seven-week banner and video-sharing campaign
that offers members of the 4-million-strong Hookt network free teaser versions of the
video to share with friends. The mobile campaign was unveiled at the end of September,
2007.

Why did the brand opt for the mobile platform on a social network?

Axe’s strategy is based on going beyond TV, print and the PC to find additional
consumers who would enjoy the video and bond with the brand’s personality. Axe
found mobile social networks could target customers that online networks couldn’t,
offering a new level of personalization.

“We know our audience of young guys is mobile phone super-users who use phones
not only for communication, but also entertainment, so we thought this could be a
fun way to introduce them to their new vice video,” says Sam Chadha, director of
antiperspirants at Unilever. “Digital media in general, including mobile
Social networks provide a fun area to play where we can create unique and
surprising experiences for our guy,” he adds.

In the Axe social mobile campaign, banner ads showing the logo and images of a
“naughty” girl appear at the bottom quarter of the phone’s screen only if the user’s profile
says he is male, aged 18-24 and has a phone with video capabilities. The banner asks the
member to sign up to receive five 30-second clips from the Axe video (one each week).
Once the member provides his phone number and clicks the signup button, he gets a full-
screen picture from the video, a message that his first clip has been sent to his e-mail and
the option to send the clip to other network members. Each user interaction is tracked,
says Trevor Hamilton, director of national advertising sales at Ad Infuse’

Industry surveys suggest that Axe is a pioneer among advertisers that are studying
how to use mobile social networks. Whatever the next stage of the Axe strategy is,
look for it on the Internet and on cell phones, not on television.

 Strategy for India

Axe deo was launched in India during 1999. The brand launch was very quiet and
theoretically the brand was having the strategy of Slow Skimming i.e High Price Low
Promotion.

Axe at that time was the leading men's deo brand in Europe and was popular in India in
the Grey market ( available in duty paid shops) .HLL may have launched this brand
inspired by the volume of Axe sold in the Grey market. At that time, the deo market
was a nascent one with an estimated market size of Rs 72 crore. HLL had the brands
Denim and Rexona and was ruling the market. Axe was priced at a premium above the
Denim brand which was positioned as a male deo brand.

Axe initially was launched in the fragrance Java, Alaska and Atlantic. HLL did not
bother to fine tune its Promotional mix to Indian market but just imported the
promotions.... meaning, the company just ran the ads which was popular in the
Europe and other markets. At that time, the product was also imported from Europe.
And IT CLICKED.... rest as they say is History...

Axe in 2002 was having a market share of over 35% and soon HLL phased out Denim
brand to concentrate on this Star.

The biggest competitive advantage of this brand is its complete monopoly over this
brand proposition. All its campaigns revolve round this central theme of Seduction
where Girl makes the first move. That feeling (of being seduced) gives a big boost of
self confidence to a man.

A lot of ads where girls are seen drooling over Hunks in Motorcycle or in Ready-mades,
or even in Innerwear’s, but in most of the Axe ads, there are no Hunks, only very
ordinary or even skinny kind of people getting assaulted by beautiful girls. That
makes the brand more approachable. Had Axe used a Hunk, the promotions couldn't have
been so effective. The brand managers were so wise that when they used a celebrity like
Ben Affleck, they ensured that the brand is made approachable.

Having said that, the males seen in Axe commercials are not Losers: the ads are
careful to show them as confident (in one way or other) or a better term will be self
assured. That is ultimate execution.
The power of this Big Idea has ensured that Indian consumers lap up the foreign
commercials without any hitch. There has not been any India centric ad for Axe
especially in Television and Indian consumers are not complaining either.

Along with these, the brand also ensured that customers are constantly engaged with new
fragrances and campaigns. In 2005, Axe had a high profile launch of its new fragrance
CLICK and before that there was Axe Land campaign and followed by Axe-Academy
then Axe Voodoo and the latest one Phenomenon.
Axe is one of the rare brands that have embraced new media to the maximum extent.

The brand has started its Internet based marketing initiative in India with Axe Land
which involved a virtual trip to the Axe world.

Not only the brand uses TVCs to its advantage, the print ads of Axe won several
accolades in various ad events. The creatives run along with the kind of flexibility that
they get from the positioning. Besides Print, the brand also uses outdoors to its maximum
impact. Axe is a classic example of 360 degree branding effort.

One of the reports term the marketing strategy of Axe as "Adventurous Marketing".
That is true because it’s risky because the brand deals with Girls & Seduction. Not
always every one may like the theme or the campaigns.
In India especially there are self styled Cultural Policemen/Women who cries foul for
anything and everything. It is really surprising that so far, Axe has escaped their AXE.
That also shows that the ad agency is also careful about the concepts put across the Indian
media.

While in a more liberal markets, Axe tests new levels of " Adventures" , here the brand
plays really safe. It also ensures the campaigns run in Indian media are accepted because
most often it’s the entire family who watches the TV.

Whatever the medium, the idea is the same. Says George, "Guys think about three
things: Girls, girls, and girls."

12. Brand Format & Extensions

Brand Format

Although Axe's lead product is the fragranced aerosol deodorant body spray, other
formats of the brand exist. Within underarm care the following are available: Deodorant
aerosol body spray, Deodorant stick, Deodorant roll-on, AntiFAT aerosol spray (Axe
Dry), and Antiperspirant stick (Axe Dry).

In 2009 the brand launched an 8-centimeter container called the Lynx Bullet. It is
intended to be portable so that it can be carried in the pocket and used whenever and
wherever needed.
 Axe Shower Gels

Brand Extensions

The brand has also extended into other areas such as shower gels, aftershaves and Eau de
Toilette, skin care, shampoo and hairstyling products.

Axe is the Number One Male Shower Brand in the Unites States

Failed extensions include Barbershop and razors.

13. Marketing Mix

It has an iconic status in whichever market it has entered. It is also one of the rare brands
which can boast of replicating its entire marketing mix across geographical boundaries.
The campaigns that you see in India is what the entire world is watching. For those who
propound Glocalisation , AXE is an exception.

 Product

Features
Axe deodorant body sprays cater exclusively for men. Priced at a premium and promising
to give guys an 'edge in the mating game'

It provides long lasting protection through a new effective deodorant system. CFC free.
The active formula of Axe Deodorant gives you continuous, effective protection against
perspiration odors during the whole day.

Offered in different varieties, the fragrance options vary from soft to vibrant and sensory
stimulating. With the unique fragrance combination, the deodorant spray is offered as an
alternative to cologne without the impact of a cheap smelling odor.

The multiple fragrances of Axe are a major selling point. The smell that each scent of
Axe presents is strong but not over powering, and offers a great alternative to cologne.
Each scent is unique, making it easy to have multiple favorites.

Provided in a variety of scents, AXE Body Sprays are not hypo-allergenic. As a result,
individuals with sensitive skin types or sensitive to smell may not benefit from the use of
the AXE Body Sprays.

Variants

Axe delivers regular innovation, keeping the offering fresh and contemporary.

From its launch, the yearly fragrance variant of Axe has played a key part in the success
of the brand, by offering something new each year. The type of fragrance variants have
evolved over time. From 1983 until about 1989, the variant names were descriptions of
the odor of the fragrance inside and included Musk, Spice, Amber, Marine and
Oriental.

From 1990 until 1996 geographic names were used such as Africa, Alaska, Java,
Nevada and Inca. From 1996 to 2002 Axe took inspiration from Calvin Klein fragrances
(also owned by Unilever at that time), using the same perfumer, Anne Gottlieb, to
develop the fragrances to launch variants such as Dimension, Apollo, Voodoo, Gravity
and Phoenix.

From 2003 Axe advertisements showed clever ways they helped men get women. In 2003
the Pulse fragrance showed how it gave geeky men the confidence to dance to get
women. This was followed by Touch, Unlimited, and Cylix and in 2007; Vice [was
marketed on a theme of making "nice" women become "naughty".

In 2008 a different direction was taken when a chocolate scented body spray, Dark
Temptation, was released.
Axe yearly variant chronology

Axe's list of yearly body-spray variants is as follows. This list does not include limited
edition or short lived variants, as these are listed in a following table.

Year Variant Name Description Notes

1983 Amber, Musk, Variant name is a The first three variants that
Spice description of fragrance Axe launched with in France.
inside.
1985 Amber, Musk Variant name is a In this year these three
(Moschus in description of fragrance variants were used to launch
Germany), Spice inside. the brand in UK.Musk is still
available in France and
Germany
1987 Oriental Variant name is a This was the first 'new' variant
description of fragrance that Axe launched and started
inside. a strategy of a yearly new
variants
1989 Marine Variant name is a Still available in Austria,
description of fragrance France, Belgium, and Spain
inside. only
1990 Tempest Discontinued

1991 Mirage Discontinued

1992 Nevada Variant name is taken Discontinued

from a geography

1993 Java Variant name is taken Discontinued

from a geography

1994 Alaska Variant name is taken Discontinued- Still Available

from a geography in Germany

1995 Africa Variant name is taken Africa has consistently been

from a geography the biggest variant in UK and
still is in 2009
1996 Inca A warm spicy fragrance. Discontinued
1997 Atlantis An abstract variant Discontinued

1998 Apollo An abstract variant Named after the Greek

god
1999 Voodoo An abstract variant Caused some controversy
with Christian groups who
objected to the use of
black magic imagery
2000 Phoenix An abstract variant The name references the
myth of the Phoenix
2001 Gravity An abstract variant The advertising featured a
man falling to earth

2002 Dimension Apollo, An abstract variant Inspired by the Sony's PS2

Kilo, Orion, Third Place advertising
which is also targeted at
young men
2002 Phoenix, Tsunami, Axe launches in U.S. This is the line up that
Voodoo Axe launched with in U.S.

2003 Pulse A European variant Used the "Make Luv"

suggests that it gives dance track which reached
geeks added confidence number 1 in UK.
so they can pull off crazy
dance moves to impress
girls and be irresistible.
2003 Essence This US variant was Used TV advertising that
about Man, part good - showed two sides to a
part bad, and has an man's relationship with
angel/demon icon. women
2004 Touch Touch is all about getting The TV advert features
women so excited they women getting more and
get turned on just by more turned on
looking at a man who is
wearing this scent.
Year Variant Name Description
2005 Unlimited Unlimited is all about China
and kungfu and doing
unlimited stunts to get girls
2006 Click or Clix This variant makes men so
attractive to women they will
need a clicker to keep score of
the number of women who
check them out
2007 Vice The Vice variant claims that it
will turn 'nice girls naughty'
thanks to the forbidden fruits
in the fragrance. The phrase
"virgo in flagrante delicto" is
printed in mirrored text on the
spray, body wash, and
deodorant stick.
2008 Dark A chocolate smelling fragrance
Temptation that implies that because
women like chocolate, they
will find men who smell of
chocolate irresistible.
2009 Instinct
Notes
Mimics the Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon
Chinese kungfu film
Uses Nick Lachey in the
advertising who is out-
scored by a hotel worker
who wears Clix. Axe gave
away free clickers to
promote the scent. The
lynx version uses Ben
Affleck in the advertising
instead of Nick Lachey.
Uses a Morgan Freeman
look-a-like in the
advertising that mimics the
style of a crime film.
Advertising features a man
who turns into chocolate
when he sprays himself
with Axe. He then goes on
to be eaten by a series of
women.
Axe Limited Edition chronology

Axe also launches limited edition variants from time to time that may be on sale for a few
months or over a year.

Axe Limited Edition: AXE 3

Packaging

Year Limited Edition Description Notes

Name
2007 3 A pack of two cans of Spraying 2 cans
Axe. One is called 1, together costs two times
the other is called 2. as much money
Both should be
sprayed together to
make a new smell
2007 Recover A burst of One of the 3 scents
invigorating citrus released by
notes on a clean AXE/LYNX under
masculine woody LIMITED EDITION.
background!
2007 Shock Prepare yourself with One of the 3 scents
the cooling effects of released by
AXE Shock shower AXE/LYNX under
gel with glacier water LIMITED EDITION
and deep sea mint
2007 Boost Combines volcanic One of the 3 scents
stone extract with released by
other natural AXE/LYNX under
cleaners. LIMITED EDITION
2008 DRY Sharp Focus A 'stimulating' mint Advertising features a
smelling fragrance man that stays focused
allowing the wearer when he sprays himself
to stay focused and with Axe.
get the girl. An anti-
perspirant, not
available as body-
spray.

2008 Fever Makes you the life of A fragrance infused

the party and ready to with Brazilian hot mud
Samba and red dragon fruit
extract.
2009 Proximity: Amber, 3 scents under the Retails higher than
Bergamot, Vetiver Proximity name. regular Axe range. Uses
Lighter, more the marketing tagline,
sophisticated 'Discover the seductive
fragrances targeted at power of
less juvenile men. understatement'.
Retails higher than
regular Axe range.
The axe deodorant is contained in stylish bottle. It’s the primary container of the axe;
there is no secondary package for the axe deodorant.

Axe uses a black can for its product that aims to signify masculinity and make men
feel comfortable buying fragrances.

Axe is incredibly convenient to say the least. The newest version of the bottle of Axe
features a twist top. The new top manages to eliminate any "accidental spraying”.
Because of this new feature, the bottle can be easily thrown, without care, into a gym bag
to offer

The best fragrance option for those who are active. The metal of the Axe bottle prevents
the bottle from breaking.

Growing Use of packaging as marketing tool;

1. Self service
2. Consumer affluence: consumer is now willing to pay a little more for
convenience, appearance and prestige of better packages.
3. Company & Brand Image: Instant Recognition
4. Innovation Opportunity

Labeling

On the bottle of the axe there is really stylish printing, stylish cap. All the information
about the axe deodorant, the net volume, price, manufacture date and the variant are
printed on the bottle.

 Pricing

Axe is priced at a premium.

Much less expensive than cologne purchases, the AXE Body Spray offers the budget
conscious consumer an opportunity for not only convenient hygiene but also an
avenue for saving money in cologne purchases.

The price of all the variants of Axe is same. All the variants of AXE are in the same
range, they just have different fragrance and flavor

AXE DARK TEMPTATION – Rs.150, net contain 150ml/96g

AXE RECOVER- Rs.-150, net contain 150ml/96g
AXE AFRICA-Rs-150, net contain 150ml/96g

 Promotion and advertising

Getting the girl has never been easier, thanks to the AXE effect. As devoted users
know, women can’t resist ANYONE wearing those great fragrances!

Axe gets naughty with its soft-core promotion

Soft-core porn has nothing on Axe body spray for men. Unilever's Axe took the men's
grooming world by storm in 2002 and almost single-handedly created a new product -
body spray - by focusing on a typical young guy's fantasy: that a single whiff will arouse
attractive young women who subsequently won't be able to keep their hands off of him.
Exaggerated humor makes the message campy, without diluting the core message.

In the spring of 2007, as the competition for young men's grooming dollars got stiffer,
Axe revamped its product packaging and launched an umbrella TV and online campaign
sporting the tag "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" - '70s-porn slang for a sexual encounter. In the
ads, aroused women exclaimed the phrase to young grocery clerks, waiters and other men
they didn't know. But by then, the ads for Old Spice and other rivals were starting to copy
Axe's frat-boy approach.

As a result, when it came time to introduce its new Vice line body spray, deodorant and
shower gel, Axe sought to assert its position as an innovator.

Commercial Review Assignment

Axe
The ad attracts people with its humor. The ad shows that if you use ‘Axe’ then there will
be seven Snow Whites instead of Seven Dwarfs, and all of the snow whites will be
attracted to you. If a person is very thorough with a thing then they can say that the ad is

depicting women as it shows women being completely overwhelmed by nothing more

then just a deodorant.

Axe

Yet another Axe deodorant ad that can be said is depicting women. It’s not that people
really believe that using ads will get girls all over you, but it’s just that they presented the
ad using humor, and made something that attracts people very easily.

"Our goal was to drive sales of Axe Vice products to 18-24-year-old men, to build buzz
and to weave the Axe brand into the culture," says Sam Chadha, Unilever director of
antiperspirants and deodorants.

Working on the Axe brand that targets young men requires a very different approach
from that seen in the rest of Unilever. For this reason several years
ago when the brand became truly global and was centralised in London, the newly
appointed global brand director introduced the Red Pill Philosophy.
Paying homage to the film The Matrix, featuring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne,
he offered the Axe Team two possibilities.
You take the blue pill, the story ends and you wake up safely in your bed
Or you take the red pill and you let go of the safety ropes.

Everyone who worked on the brand embraced the opportunity to take the red pill in order
to follow the exciting road less travelled and take more risks.

Essentially the Red Pill philosophy means that:

1. The brand leads and does not follow.
2. We are adventurous, but not irresponsible.
3. We trust our gut.

Unilever attributes Axe’s success to its tightly focused promotional efforts—

dramatizing “Boy gets Girl” benefits resulting from product usage. Axe received
Clio’s 2006 Advertiser of the Year Award for its creative leadership; with its edgy
individual commercials receiving numerous creative prizes--including 10 Cannes
Lions.

Axe marketing emphasizes “on-line” promotions—web sites, instant messaging,

blogs, and games. Additionally, Axe campaigns frequently involve collaborative
promotions and orchestrated events carefully targeting adolescents and young
adults.

Taken together, Unilever’s highly innovative and imaginative promotional efforts

have generated a distinct high profile Axe image, while furthering brand equity.
Moreover, Axe’s promotions have contributed to extensive--positive and negative—
press coverage and word-of-mouth communication both within and beyond its
target market.

 Place

Axe’s Global Presence

Distributors are in better contact with customers than the company.
Wholesale distributors reported that Axe body spray led the men's grooming category in
2007. Nearly half of the top-10 best-selling deodorant brands for Imperial Distributors
were Axe items, led by the body sprays, according to Al Jones, senior vice president of
procurement at the company, which serves the eastern U.S.

According to Unilever, the Indian model is a cushion against recession. It will continue to
grow. The first thing Unilever did was to strengthen their three R&D centres, including
the ones in Bangalore and Shanghai. They are emphasizing on research in this part of the
world. Research plays a key role, as Unilever is driven by innovation. It does not see
anything missing in terms of quality or innovation (in its Indian operations). What
Unilever is now trying to do is to have a better organisation and structure so that they can
make bigger innovations here for faster expansion around the world. For example, it
launched the Axe Chocolate deo in 52 countries simultaneously.

Axe is available at the retail stores, chemists, supermarkets, malls for easy reach of the
customers.

Axe has increased sales worldwide by successfully expanding distribution into one
country after another; while the strategically timed introduction of new fragrances has
increased overall market share.

14. Sustaining Growth

Axe global market share

2006 deodorant
Country Launch year Source
share (%)
India 1999 28.6 AC India 1999 28.6 AC India 1999 28.6 AC India 1999 28.6 AC
Nielsen Nielsen Nielsen Nielsen
Argentina 1986 20.2 IRI
UK 1985 19.5 IRI
US 2002 13.5 AC Nielsen

Axe has increased sales worldwide by successfully expanding distribution over

countries while the strategically timed introduction of new fragrances has increased
its overall market share.
Notwithstanding, competition from global marketers, i.e., Procter & Gamble, as
well as from regional producers either promoting their own brand and/or supplying
“private label retailer brands” remains intense.

As the market matures, Unilever must now address new market opportunities--
Specifically ethnic multi-cultural markets located throughout the world--where it
can realize incremental sales.

Thank You

Bibliography
marketingpractice.blogspot.com/2007/07/axe-axe-effect.html
www.theindiastreet.com/2008/11/the-battle-of-the-deodorants.html

ibnlive.in.com/news/axes-chocolate-deo-ad-raises-stink-with-govt/71879-3-1.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe (Lynx)

www.mouthshut.com/review/Axe_Body_Deoderant-40005-1.html

www.rateitall.com/i-839843-axe-deodorant-body-spray-for-men-recovery.aspx

www.scribd.com/doc/13893242/The-Axe-Effect

www.iaaglobal.org/file.ashx?fid=08eff0a5-b79e-4e09-9824-4b3948190f63

JAM & JLT Magazine