Axe Chops Away The Competition

It might be too much information, but I use Axe deodorant. I certainly don’t fit their target demographic, but it’s an interesting case of how a new brand in a tired packaged goods category can get big fast.
Ad Age takes a closer look at Axe:

The brand has risen remarkably with edgy creative and a marketing message to unleash your inner animal magnetism in a category where efficacy is normally the selling point. Axe has climbed the category by turning its back on other traditional tenets, eschewing sports tie-ins and programming; using online and content integration plays; and defining its competitive set not as deodorants but as PlayStation and Nike.
“They created such a strong presence and big splash in body spray with some extremely smart and sophisticated advertising that really worked,” said Michael Wood, VP-research at Teen Research Unlimited.
The firm’s research shows that although Old Spice still leads Axe in usage among teens 12 to 19 over the past six months, Axe is up from a weak No. 4 to a strong No. 2 in two years.

You can call some of what they’ve done to promote the brand non-traditional, or guerrilla, or whatever, but all told, they’ve spent a massive amount of money on advertising to create a brand from scratch. I guess it still works these days.