"Axe and the Bom Chic A Wah Wah ",

A new campaign for Axe body spray which replaces the “Axe Effect.” The spots in this campaign again show women taken out of their normal routine by the effects of Axe body spray. In one execution, a woman is preparing for a date with her man but when she arrives at the restaurant she is distracted by a waiter carrying bread. She bursts out with the phrase “Bom Chic A Wah Wah” while undulating. Then she catches herself and looks embarrassed. A second execution has a woman teaching English to a group of foreign students when a teenager enters and she repeats the Bom Chic A Wah Wah and shimmy which the foreign students repeat.
What Works:Unilever has gone to some lengths to ensure that this new campaign for Axe - the proverbial golden goose - is memorable. They have certainly put together spots that are unique on television and should be highly memorable.
As with most Unilever advertising, this campaign does focus on the unique selling proposition of Axe and the advertising strategy has good continuity with the old campaign. This adds credibility to the effort.
What Doesn’t:This campaign features the most cringe-worthy advertising produced thus far this year and puts this advertising blog in the odd position of feeling considerable sympathy for the actress/models who have to utter the “Bom Chic A Wah Wah” in front of millions of their fellow Americans.
It is always possible for the story to work against the brand in spots like this and it happens here. Frequently, the problem is that the story is memorable, but the brand is not. That is not the case here. Unfortunately, while both the brand and the store are memorable, the connection is neither pleasant nor motivating. In five syllables, Axe crosses the boundary from uncontrollable attraction to creepy stalking behavior.
Of course, we are not the target for this advertising, but we very much doubt that 13-year old boys will find this campaign compelling, either.
Branding Bottom Line:Axe goes from hero to zero. Lose this campaign before we lose our minds.
"Axe and the Bom Chic A Wah Wah ",