Cannes Lions

AXE

BBH NEW YORK, New York / UNILEVER / 2015

Awards:

3 Shortlisted Cannes Lions
Film
Film
Film

Overview

Entries

Credits

Overview

Description

Set in a beautiful hotel on Lake Como, guests are drawn to a confident guy walking through the lobby. As they try to imagine who he is, we drift into their fantasies. From a Hollywood movie star, to a spy, to a world renowned comedian, we soon find out he’s just a regular guy who works at the hotel.

Execution

Open on a cinematic shot of a boutique Italian hotel. A cool, self-assured 20-something guy walks past a stunning woman in the front driveway. She takes notice as he confidently makes his way towards the hotel entrance.

We hear her inner thoughts.

WOMAN VO: Who is this guy? Must be a movie star...

Cut to our hero cruising around Lake Como in a gorgeous Riva boat with a young woman at his side, living the celebrity lifestyle.

Cut back to him walking past the bellman and into the lobby where a young boy also notices him and thinks about who he might be.

YOUNG BOY VO: I bet he’s a super spy.

We see our guy walking down an abandoned train platform in a disguise. He calmly removes a fake moustache, a wig, and glasses and tosses them aside as an explosion takes place behind him. He doesn't even flinch.

Cut back to our guy making his way through the chic hotel lobby. Another guest is drawn to his self-assured magnetism. This time it is an aging Upper East Side type of woman with collagen lips and a frozen botox face. She’s sitting with her dog in her lap. We hear her thoughts.

OLDER WOMAN: I think he’s a world class surgeon.

We see our guy in a plastic surgery office marking up a woman’s sides with a marker for an operation. He makes confident eye contact with the ladies in the waiting room who look back at him adoringly.

We cut back to the hotel and we zoom in on the woman’s lap dog’s face. We hear the dog’s thoughts.

DOG: [Arf. Arf.] No. He won Best in Show.

We see our guy on the stage of a famous dog show with his prize-winning poodle and massive trophy as the crowd applauds him.

Cut to the bar as our guy makes his way through the hotel. His confident stride catches the eye of a Russian war hero sitting with two women at his side. We hear his thoughts in Russian.

SOLDIER VO: (No Subtitles, he says something in Russian)

Cut to see a group of men entering a bleak looking Russian factory. Inside our guy is in a boxing match with a man twice his size. He knocks out his opponent with a thunderous punch and the crowd cheers.

Cut to out guy walking down the hotel stairs and striding past a grumpy old man reading a newspaper. The old man sees him and wonders who he is.

OLD MAN VO: Isn’t he that funny guy?

We see our guy on stage doing a comedy routine in Mongolia. He tells a joke.

GUY VO: ...And it wasn’t even my cat.

The crowd sits reactionless until a translator translates his joke to them, at which point they erupt in laughter and throw teddy bears at him in celebration.

Cut to our guy walking down a hotel corridor and making eye contact with an attractive young woman approaching him. We hear her begin to speculate about who this confident guy might be.

YOUNG WOMAN VO: Who is he? Must be a...

At this point we see our guy abruptly turn off through a hallway door marked ‘STAFF ONLY.’ The young woman realizes he actually works at the hotel and hear her internal realization.

YOUNG WOMAN VO: Oh.

Our guy approaches his locker in the staff dressing room where he is greeted by his friend and coworker.

FRIEND VO: Hey, what’s up man?

OUR GUY: Nothing much.

Our guy opens a locker, sprays on some Axe White Label antiperspirant, dons his hotel uniform and confidently strides back into the hallway, ready to work.

SUPER: HOW YOU FEEL SAYS IT ALL.

VO: Clean, protect and style with new AXE White Label.

SUPER / PACK SHOT: NEW WHITE LABEL.

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