To promote AXE body sprays, the company affixed a calendar onto a female dormitory. The idea may be a clever bit of marketing, but is anyone else annoyed by how sexist this is? On top of that, does anyone else read into the description the way I do?
"As wrapping the female students' dormitory in the shape of calendar and using Axe for a month throughout March, They aimed for the expression that a new female can be met on a daily basis, to promote the brand image and preference for Axe."
Ignore the bad grammar for a second and focus on the word "preference". It seems like they're saying AXE is only intended to be used by men who like women. Am I misunderstanding this? Because it sounds like they're saying the "brand image" is totally straight guys banging chicks.
Methinks their brand image could use a makeover. Does anyone want to join me for a performance art piece where we spray ourselves with AXE and suck a lot of cock?
– Dewitt
Photo credit: directdaily
I think you’re reading too much into it… after all, the straight men market is bigger then the gay men one… it makes sense to me. You can also argue that they wouldn’t want to be seen as the deodorant gay men smell like, because you would alienate straight men, the bigger market. Homophobic or not, it’s just for the sake of business… meh.
i agree with the post. i do think is waaaay sexiest so much that its dumb (and i guess so is the guys who actually buy them). though i do see that the market is bigger market but at the same time we are the ones who among the markets are more likely to but brand products such as prada,versace, etc. yes the straight market may be bigger but we spend more than them. thats just my little opinion 🙂
Actually, as a marketing professional, I agree that the brand is clearly identifying itself with heterosexual males. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Every well structured brand image is targeted at a specific audience that is not all inclusive. Its a business decision.
However, what I am appauled by, is the clear degradation of women, essentially dipicting them as objects to be put on a “to do” list. “Today on my calendar is banging amy on the third floor.” Its a creative ad, and I would bet it was quite effective. But I’m offended that the school would allow it.
Well I’ve been using axe for a while cause I like how it smells and it contains only deodorant and no antiperspirant(I don’t sweat), a few months ago I switched to a different Axe fragrance after I had sex with a guy who was wearing it and thought it smelled pretty hot.
I’ve also met several women who find Axe quite irresistible, some have asked me if it has the same effect on gay men, well for me it does.
focus on real issues peeps. keep fighting for gay marriage there in the usa, even if you despise the idea of yourself being married – just do it. it’s about equality.
don’t try to find problems with this add. yes, it’s sexist, but not homophobic.
would u be pleased to see a few guys on that calendar along the girls? that would be fun 😉
straight guys would run from axe in a fear that it would turn them gay from time to time. that would be fun too 😉 we can get our hands on some of those cuties 😉 hehe – extra supply…
Bigger question is why would any self respecting gay man want to wear a drugstore brand body spray? Go to a real department store and buy a real cologne. Axe is for teenage boys in high school.
here’s an idea: smell like a man, not like a bunch of cheap chemicals. The problem with AXE: its designed to make you smell better, but what smells better than an actual man? Seriously?
Who cares! It’s AXE! Does anyone actually use it?
Yeah for real, sexism vs. ladies aside, I would never NEVER sleep with a guy who wears Axe. And here’s why:
One time as a laugh my boyfriend and I were at Target and he sprayed me with a tester of some axe fragrance. I broke out in a crazy rash that actually split my skin open and I had to cover it with band aids.
Frankly I don’t even like being near the stuff now, so if I smell the stench of the barely legal pimple patrol frat boy on a guy I’m contemplating sex with, I’d make him shower first lol!
So let the fratties, the high school boys and the rest of the straights have their precious Axe. I’ll stick with stuff that isn’t so cheaply made it turns me into a leper!
I think axe smells awful and would rather they not market it to the gays anyway. use a real fragrance, gays!
God, are straight men so lazy that they really need a deoderant that doubles as cologne? To me, personally, it smells like Rave hairspray and guys who use it over-use it. Who wants to be with a guy who is doused from head to toe in skin-safe air freshener? This is the same reason I can’t stand soaps made with the “man” in mind. It’s seriously toxic and I’d like to know what the ladies really think. Ladies?
I would not join you, because sexism aside, Axe sucks.