Unilever’s Lynx/Axe has undergone a major global rebrand aimed at slightly older, more sensitive men.
Rik Strubel, global vice president of Lynx/Axe, explained, “We have been catering to teenage guys and we are now talking to his older brother, who is in university.”
He added that this is the biggest Lynx/Axe repositioning in the last 20 years.
The relaunch is the result of a survey of 3,500 men in ten markets that discovered men feel an overwhelming pressure to conform to masculine stereotypes, with only 15% of men in most countries strongly agreeing that they are attractive. On the other hand, 9 out of 10 women surveyed stated that men are most attractive when they are themselves and only 1 in 5 said they find stereotypically manly guys most attractive.
Axe global brand director, Fernando Desouches, commented, “We’re living in an era of unprecedented freedom and acceptance. Yet what we’ve seen is that a lot of men still feel huge pressure to look and behave a certain way in order to be seen as attractive.”
So the new campaign is designed to empower men in the same way that the Dove campaign aimed to empower women. Strubel explained, “The pressure to conform has gone up. Guys have lost their confidence to express themselves….The moment you show individuality then people get bullied and this is the big issue.”
Matthew McCarthy, senior director, Axe & men’s grooming for Unilever, added, “Masculinity today is going through seismic changes. More than ever, guys are rejecting rigid male stereotypes. We’ve been part of guys’ lives for decades, and Axe champions real guys and the unique traits that make them attractive to the world around them.”
The new global campaign called Find Your Magic was developed by 72andSunny Amsterdam who won the account one year ago.
It launches on January in US first and covers TV, print, OOH and custom digital content. Other partner agencies include Ponce and BBH. VICE will also create content through the year.
“Axe has always been at the forefront of culture,” noted 72andSunny Amsterdam executive creative Carlo Cavallone. “With Find Your Magic we’re out to liberate guys from pressure and bullshit, and empower them to be the most attractive men they can be – themselves.”
The campaign is supported by a series of short mobile and online tutorials featuring men with unusual style called Instagroom.
Credits:
Agency: 72andSunny Amsterdam
Creatives: Laura Visco, Emiliano Trierveiler & Mario Guay
Production company: Pulse Films
Director: Francis Rousselet
