Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase





2014 | |

AXE Apollo: Bringing Space Back To Earth

Advertiser: Unilever Malaysia
Brand: AXE
Creative Agency: Creative Juice
Credits: Mindshare Malaysia — Saurabh Tyagi (Director, Client Leadership), Prajakta Paranjpe (Head of Planning),Marian Christina (Executive, Planning),Susan Lim (Senior Manager),Sarah Boey (Digital Manager), Hooi Yin Yin (Executive, Digital),Aileen Chew (Senior Executive),Looi Yew Mun (Senior Manager),Sham van Boonstra (Project Director),Shankar Rajagopal (Director, Client Leadership)

The Challenge
As part of the global APOLLO AXE launch, we were mandated to run a promotion that involved sending one Malaysian consumer to space. Problem: the prize was out of this world (literally and figuratively). Research revealed consumers find this too good to be true, therefore skeptical and uninterested to participate.

The Solution – Insight & Idea
Insight: We know that consumers will reject concepts that are bizarre or extraordinary, and going to space was one of them. Contrary to that, ‘seeing is believing’ because consumers will believe something to be true if they experience it themselves. Strategy & Idea: With this in mind, our strategy revolved around bringing this “going to space” campaign “back to earth”. We effectively reversed the journey by bringing space to the consumers and ensuring they could get up close and personal with the promotion, and the new APOLLO AXE product. Activation was the most important component of this campaign because we could bring space elements to earth, like having Astronauts walk amongst consumers (in malls, cinemas, shops) to make them believe that it’s attainable. Increasing the believability of this promotion helped increase the participation for the contest.

The Execution
Men dressed in Space suit/astronaut’s dress invaded Malaysia inviting people to participate in the Axe ‘AXE-tronaut’ contest.

  • The truck from Outer Space: There was a Hero’s parade for the AXE-tronauts who travelled around the city in the AXE truck – conducting meet and greet sessions, drawing attention, virality and strengthening AXE’s reputation as cool and trendy.
  • The AXE-tronaut and his girls: In keeping with brand positioning as the chick magnet, Cinemas were invaded by the AXE-tronaut accompanied by AXE girls.
  • The Real ‘Space’ experience: Space like structure was created at KLCC malls so that common men could get a chance to ‘Live the Astronaut Experience’. Malaysia’s first astronaut Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar was invited as a guest and shared his experiences.
  • The Final Event – National Axe- tronaut Challenge: 15 finalists were selected based on FB voting & we created a 1 day event ‘National Axe-tronaut Challenge’ in which they went through tests on their mental & physical skills to be an astronaut. Through this competition combined with FB votes & we found the winner ‘Axe-tronaut’

The Results

  • The contest that started as something no one would believe in ended up getting 1800 participants from Malaysia.
  • Within 3 months from AXE Apollo launch, brand sales increased by 18%.
  • The AXE-tronouts got featured in national key titles and TV channels generating PR worth RM 4.1 million