Lockdown is over. Young men have one thing on their mind. But getting back into dating is scary. MullenLowe London has used some humorous insights to present Axe (Lynx in Australia) as the key to confidence with women as they emerge from Covid’s cloistered life – and to underline Lynx’ traditional position as the brand that “gets” young men and answers their needs.
Producing the commercial wasn’t easy. Pandemic life meant that Axe and MullenLowe had to adapt their processes to cope with the lack of production sets and the basic tools normally used to create a successful campaign with a combination of clever shooting and production techniques such as remote self-shooting using self-installed green screens, the use of existing footage and CGI.
The Smell Ready campaign shows off the range of fragrances available from Lynx, with new product launches also being highlighted depending on the market.
Caroline Gregory, Unilever Axe brand director, commented, “We know that our guys found the world of attraction pretty awkward even before all this happened. Now they may feel even more hesitant or overwhelmed as they face this new journey. Axe is here for them, to make that transition easier with a range of fragrances that help them smell ready and get back out there with a new sense of confidence. But being authentic to our brand and relevant to our guys, we’ve brought this to life in a more light-hearted and humorous way.”
Jose Miguel Sokoloff, MullenLowe Group UK chief creative officer, added, “Axe is an iconic brand that has a long history of great communications. The post-Covid ‘new-normal’ and how we are learning to adjust to it presented an incredible opportunity for the brand, and timing was of the essence. I am incredibly proud of how this very tight client-agency team seized the moment, created, approved and produced this global campaign in the most bizarre of circumstances. Axe is back.”
https://youtu.be/WSOOqNWkOko
Media is being handled by Mindshare and the campaign has launched first in the US across television, digital and social.
Credits:
Lead Network: Interpublic Group (IPG)
Lead Agency: MullenLowe London
Chief Creative Officer (IPG): Jose Miguel Sokoloff
Creative lead: Gavin Cumine
Creatives: Drew Davies & Angus Crombie
Global Business Director (IPG): Federico Duberti
Global Account Director (IPG): Barney Ware
Account Executive: George Hollins
Global Strategy Director: Richard Welch
Strategist: Alpesh Patel
Designer: Danny Flint
Agency Producer: Alex Pemberton
Production Company: Canada
Director: Pensacola
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Oscar Romagosa
Executive Producer: Marta Bobic
Producer: Laura Serra Estorch
DOP: Oriol Barcelona
Art Director: Teresa Montanuy
1st AD: Anna Capdevila
Talent Coordinator: Noe Montero
Production Coordinator Barcelona: Itsasne Santos
Production Coordinator London: Ellie Bartlett
Production Assistant: Juan Pedro Vida
Camera Assistant: Jack Peters
Casting: Lane Casting
Post Production: Glassworks
Post Production Coordinator: Marina Martínez Campomanes
Editor: Carlos Font Clos
Sound: Sam Robson @ 750mph
Music company: Big Sync
Client: Axe (Unilever)
Global Brand Director: Caroline Gregory
Global Senior Brand Manager: Claire McHardy
Global Entertainment Brand Manager: Will Humphries
Global Assistant Brand Manager: Alessandro D’Amico
Global Brand VP: MC Gasco-Buisson
