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Women: Ever wish that you, too, could be hunted down by men clamoring and reaching out to touch you thanks to your irresistible scent? You’re in luck.
The New York Times reports that Axe, the body spray and grooming brand by Unilever, will be coming out with a fragrance for women, having lured men to their products since 2002. Named Anarchy, the scent will be available in versions for both women and men. Axe is well-known for its risqué advertisements rendering men a piece of meat upon which lusty women prey.
For their women’s line, it seems they’re taking a similar approach: the first commercial for Axe Anarchy, will premiere on Facebook tomorrow, and features a man and woman passionately walking toward one another while the world descends into catastrophe around them. The end of the ad reads “Unleash the chaos. New Axe Anarchy for him and for her.”
(READ: Sorry, Old Spice Guy: India Bans Sexy Deodorant Commercials)
Women may respond to this notion of sharing a sexy secret with a sexy someone. However, should Axe go with its usual approach—the scent’s wearer being chased by the opposite sex everywhere they go—they might want to do some market research first. What works on a target demographic of 18 to 24-year-old boys may not prove effective on 20-something women.
Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the agency in charge of the new ads, understands the distinction. Creative Director David Kolbusz told the Times that the new campaign defies the usual expectations for Axe ads: “Before, an Axe commercial was always about a guy spraying himself and a girl being attracted, and Axe giving him an edge in the mating game, whereas now women also have something to spray on themselves, and consequently there’s more of an equilibrium between the sexes.”
The Axe Anarchy women’s body spray will be first released as a limited edition, no doubt to see if that equilibrium actually works out.
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