AXE Separates the Signal from the Noise
Axe’s newest variant, Axe Black, wanted to reposition the entire brand.
It drew on the premise that our world has gotten exceedingly noisy and bustling with more of the same. Having made waves a while back when it came to the ground breakers, the earth shakers and the noise makers, it realised that times have drastically changed and with it, our perceptions.
This time, the struggle was real and getting the target audience onboard was not going to be an easy feat to pull-off. So, the Wunderman PR team decided to dial down the theatrics by focusing on what truly matters. They literally turned things round by stating that ‘less is more’ and in turn focused on men’s internal qualities rather than flamboyant looks.
Wunderman needed to godfather this revolution in masculine confidence, which is why the team employed a top down approach. They sought-out the loudest platform from today’s top 40 raving music scene where European DJS spun their tunes to a packed house filled with loudly-clad expensively-dressed party goers. And then, they turned up the real with a campaign that unearthed authentic tunes and created engaging regional content.
Bringthequiet.com was born. Here, real music was given a chance and regional talent, a stage. Every platform and channel that generated noise was whispering Axe’s message- TVCS, Out of Home, social media and digital. The quiet was about to seep into the prevalent world of pop culture. Axe Black was everywhere. On ground, in concert and at the forefront of the best parties in town. Music lovers rediscovered the sound of real music and fell in love all over again. Artists were called in to compete for nothing more than passion, a little recognition and for music itself, which brought back that missing authentic feel of celebrating the ability to be yourself. At the center of it all, was a database of submitted music that would eventually turn into the first ever ‘Bring the Quiet Album’, a compilation of music at its grass roots with every track voted for and chosen by the fans themselves. The number of unique views on the brand’s Youtube channel for this campaign reached 2,129,859, as Axe’s fan base grew exponentially. To bolster that Axe effect, the PR agency also created a bringthequiet.com website where followers could get fresh fashion, music and grooming tips.
The irony of it all, a spokesperson from Wunderman’s PR team noted, the “brand of quiet became something of a loud story.” J.H.