Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase
2011 | Finalist | Best Use of Television
Advertiser: Unilever Brand: Axe Creative Agency: - Credits: Shankar Rajagopal (Director, Client Leadership), Anne Leow (Associate Director), Cheng Lin Nah/ Looi Yew Mun (Manager), Suveea Jinadasa (Senior Executive), Thang Mei San/Allen Phang/ Ng Kok Yean (Executive)
Challenge
Axe, known globally, is a late entrant into the competitive deodorant category. It had to appeal to young but conservative Malay males, without using its overtly-suggestive global communication. Global brand managers said : No “sex-y” image = No Axe. Can Axe be a success in Malaysia?
Solutions
Young males always have one thing on their mind – Girls! They try all methods to attract them but lack confidence. Getting girls’ phone numbers is considered by Malaysian men as most difficult. Axe established an emotional connection by telling them Axe could make them smell so irresistible that girls would not control themselves from giving their numbers. Communication focus on “getting the number” helped Axe remain within the boundaries of societal permissiveness.
Execution
We swamped the market with a range of activities centered on a customized local number “010-2253344” “Confessions” videos of girls giving their “number” to great-smelling guys were viral-ed online. For mass reach, we created “Axe Breaking News” aired every hour on prime-time TV3, where the newscaster spoke about the “Axe Effect” spreading all across town. More “Axe-citement” was generated when the newscaster herself succumbed to the “Axe Effect” by giving out her number on air!
Result
Resounding Success!!! Axe achieves year-end share target by August, became 3rd largest in category “Axe Breaking News” reached 28% of young Malaysian males in one single day Two-third Malaysian males aware of Axe in launch month Built image on “Makes you feel attractive to others”.
