Just typing the words “AXE body products” makes us smirk – we admit it. I mean, the relentless cheesy television spots with bimbos and clipboards, the over-powering fragrances that launched a thousand Jersey Shore-wannabes and the misogynistic marketing are, let’s face it, hilarious. You have to give the brand credit for being so unapologetically ’90s. AXE is like that annoying 15-year-old chauvinist-in-training who never grew up. That being said, when it comes to viral videos and video marketing, AXE has an almost frightening pinpoint accuracy for its demographic.
Take, for example, the new commercials for the AXE Detailer. While they’ve been circulating internationally for a few months, the ads starring former My Name is Earl babe Jamie Pressely have hit the Internet and national television big time over the last week or so. The commercials spoof infomercials, with Pressely as a former tennis pro who helps the audience, umm, wash their balls. It’s a juvenile joke that was done better by SNL years ago, but Pressley has great comedic chops and the ad is sure to inspire chuckles from both AXE haters and AXE appreciators. Launched online by AXE on the 13th of September, all versions of the video have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, with the million-mark right around the corner.
Pressely’s ad is the latest from a company that has had big-time viral video success in the past. We live in the Old Spice Guy era of viral video, and AXE asserts itself as a true contender. What we can learn from AXE, aside from how to clean balls, is the importance of consistent branding in viral video campaigns. Sure, everybody wants a video hit, but it’s helpful if said hit is actually selling product, too.
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