It's not that it's a bad ad. It's fine. Well executed, solid script, and the usual amount of tongue-in-cheek humor. It's not exactly original though, we've seen many variations on this "guide to getting the hot girl," but that's where I really stumble. Let's backtrack.
What has the Axe strategy always been? Well, it's something like:
"With Axe, hot girls want you, even if you're an average Joe."
They can't really live up to that claim, I know plenty of guys who spray Axe and have yet to bag anyone resembling the supermodels in these ads. But that's exaggerating the benefit, and that's ok.
No, the problem here is that Axe has done a complete 180 degrees with the strategy. It seems that now, Axe isn't enough. You need to be a cunning fox to get the girl. You need to work your butt off, sitting through a 7-hour play and faking tears in order to score. What? She should be sat next to our hero at a 7-hour ball game, with eyes only for him.
To be honest, this is the perfect time for a competitor to parody this spot. This poor Axe wearer has to go through hell to get the girl. Some guy should walk in 5 mins before the end, wearing Old Spice, and go home with her. Because, well, he smells like a man, he doesn't cry like a baby.
Moral - to thine own self be true.
I'd love to see the brief on this one. I have to wonder if the account planner dropped the ball, the creative team, or the client.
No comments:
Post a Comment