Stay Ready

Happy Friday,

How was your week? 

It's starting to smell like spring. Did you have a spring in your step with May finally here? I did!

Did you know that smell is closely linked with memory? We can distinguish over 1 trillion odours, and Google researchers have figured out how to digitize them. (of course, they did). 

Sent can also be a powerful confidence booster, and Axe made it their brand truth to have a stranglehold on the 16-30-year-old male Market for years.

In composing this, I rewatched some of their older commercials: Stay Ready, Angels, The Effect, Women Running, Bom Chicka Wah Wah, and God Bless America,  and was shocked at how inappropriate they are now. (Funny to think, I wished to be able to produce one of these if we didn't have so many rules and regulations when working in beer…)

While Axe has undoubtedly evolved, they haven’t backed down from their brand truth, knowing and owning that they'll have super fans and super offended with their activations. Their last campaign doesn't disappoint with Funeral and Robbery. (what??)

As a whole, the category is quite irreverent, and brands have leaned into 3 truths: 

• Do Market Research | Know who your buyer is and own it

• Do More Market Research | Know who has the purchasing power; speak to them, too

• Be Aspirational | We don't buy because of who we are; we buy because of who we wish to become.

Just think of Old Spice leaning on the buyer (look at your man) instead of the user with The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, a platform that has been going strong for 15 years. (I’m on a horse). Or Every Man Jack passing the smell test and leaning in product trust with Still Smell Good (catchy).

Each has found its hitch and remains highly relevant in a category that should be seen as a commodity more than anything else.

Because when you smell good,

Only good things can happen to you

See you next week