A global icon

AXE is the world’s number one male deodorant body spray and a recognized symbol of seduction. This has been possible by providing its customers with great fragrances and The AXE Effect, a powerful and persuasive brand idea that gives guys an edge with girls since its launch.

Limited editions

AXE focuses on young guys. In order to grow, it must recruit a new generation of guys yearly and holster their loyalty as long as possible. The challenge is staying fresh and relevant to an ever-fickle audience annually. A key strategy for extending our users’ loyalty is to develop a brand-new, limited edition fragrance with its packaging and communications campaign each year. Even if their time on shelves is restricted, limited editions play an important double role: initiate newcomers to the brand and prolong their relationship with AXE by continually refreshing its portfolio.

Overtaking prediction

After several years of launching limited editions, the innovation model was clearly becoming repetitive and predictable. The latest attempts were falling short of their potential and sales figures were on decline. On top of that, many copycats started sprawling around the globe with similar packaging and emotional promises. We needed to make a clear stand if we were to turn this around and put the next AXE limited edition at the top where it belonged.

Taking over the world

For the favorable outcome of any AXE limited edition, creativity must accomplish a crucial job since the name, packaging design and communication platform all depend on the creative concept. It is imperative to find strategic territories that are appealing to our audience on a global scale and build the story from there, not the other way around. Any of these must be convincing, flexible and strong enough to appeal to a variety of local brand managers, consumers around the world and be effective across diverse channels. This results in a daunting blank page.

AXE ‘2012’ Final Edition – Happy end of the world

This time around, we found the solution on a calendar in front of us. With several predictions signaling 2012 as the end of times, we had a unique opportunity to invite guys to make the most out of it. In 2011, 25 countries around the world joined AXE in celebrating the upcoming Armageddon. AXE ‘2012’ Final Edition became a record-performing limited edition and a new brand benchmark for future success.