Nadine Yousif
ENG 1020
Mrs. Jule Wallis
22 January 2008
Sex sells. It is as simple as that, no one can or will deny that this very statement is false.
Over the years, advertising has transformed from family orientated into an explicit and sexual
reputation. Women and men are used as sexual objects to persuade the audience to buy a certain
product. Sexuality to many advertisers is the eminence in manipulating a target audience to
purchase their product. The commercial asserts that if you buy Axe deodorant than you will
certainly attract women. This Axe commercial is advertised for men who are in need of good
body hygiene and their need to simply smell good. One commercial in particular, displays a
young man working at a grocery store and a woman passes him gracefully smelling his
masculine and "tempting" Axe deodorant. The woman stops and constantly repeats, "bom chicka
wah wah," while shaking her bosom and rear in front of the young man, undoubtedly, he enjoys
this with a smirk upon his face.Although this commercial is quite humorous, the
woman is being used as a type of fulfillment in the mans use of the axe deodorant. This
particular Axe Commercial as well as many other brand commercials have somehow
incorporated women into the outcome of purchasing their products. A deodorant, which is
defined as something that neutralizes or masks body odors, is publicized using a womans body
and her entertainment, however, what should be promoted is the factual effect that the deodorant
has on the consumer. Advertisments have molded sexual conduct into the merchandise as a
gateway to success.
Axe or Lynx, according to Wikipedia, is a brand of male grooming products, owned by
Anglo-Dutch company Unilever who manufacture a range of products in the health & beauty,
household cleaning, food and ice cream categories. Deodorant or body spray are however, their
leading products. Axe has released a numerous amount of television commercials that have
sexually appealed to their customers. A popular commercial involves the phrase, "Bom chicka
wah wah," spoken by attractive and sexual women. Men have become the target of any
advertisement involving the beauty, sexuality, and lustfulness of women. These women are idled
by children, teenagers, and adults no matter how absurd or foolish the advertisements may
appear. One spokesman from Bartle Bogle Hegarty(BBH) , a British advertising company, states,
"To talk about the change functionally would betray the brand's heritage. At the same
time, showing a better Lynx effect physically is difficult as Lynx already deals in
hyperbole. A third approach was required. The answer we found was to subvert the
language of lust by creating a phrase that would become synonymous, not only with
improved fragrances, but also irresistible physical attraction" (Brand Republic).
The spokesman for BBH evidently states that the commercial for Axe is will appeal to
consumers in a lustful and erotic way. In addition to the sexual and erotic vibe these Axe
commercials portray, these
commercials take place in family oriented and proper environments. One takes place in a
dentist’s office, a supermarket, a school, and also a family gathering. In particular, the
commercial shot in a supermarket, the woman is pushing an old lady on wheel chair and pushes
her out of the way once she smells Axe scent on the young employee. The locations that are
shown through the Axe commercials are being corrupted by a woman's sexual desire for a man
and his good smell. The ad persuades the audience or men in particular, that women will surely
not be able to keep their hands off of you once you buy and wear this deodorant or body spray.
The online website for Axe reads, "When you wear your favorite Axe Shower Gel, Body Spray,
Anti-Perspirant or Deodorant on any of your hot male zones (A.K.A your body), your new and
improved male musk is released into the atmosphere, quickly reaching nearby females" (Axe).
Axe's very own worldwide website claims this on their "ABOUT AXE," page. Children may not
know any better and truly believe that wearing Axe will bring women, lust, and love. "Our
children, bombarded with these sexual images in advertising, TV Programmes, music videos
and on the internet, are pressured to look and act 'sexy' at absurdly young ages" (Kilbourne, Ford
120). Advertising has made sex an important role in selling products rather than true love,
family, and friends, which should ultimately be a part of advertising. "As we all know, sex had
long been used in advertising to sell just about everything-from champagne to shampoo, from
chainsaws to chewing gum" (Kilbourne, Ford 119). In advertising, every product of every kind,
in every place, at any time, is somehow related to sexual desire and sexual behavior.
While these commercials take place in family oriented and normal environments, the
Axe deodorant or Body Spray commercials are targeted at men who wear deodorant for smell
and sweating purposes. Women are obviously an interest to men all over the world and it will
always be this way just as men are an interest to women. When a woman is placed in a particular
ad or commercial, a man is bound to become interested, just as a young woman was placed in the
Axe commercial singing, "bom chicka wah wah," while the young man enjoys her sexual
presence. On The Axe Effect website, a picture is displayed of a young man spraying axe on his
body and all around him, thus having women surrounding him after wearing the product. "Using
the catchphrase "bom chicka wah wah" to signify lust, four TV executions show scenarios where
women lust after a man wearing the Lynx deodorant or body spray. With these ads, BBH was
briefed to show that better fragrance translates to a better Lynx effect" (Brand Republic).
Over the years, Axe has used women and sex as a part of their advertising family,
from getting dressed, to getting undressed, to making sexual noises, to dancing sexually, Axe has
become a leading sex symbol in men’s hygiene. “With its coolly seductive fragrances and
packaging, the brand has established itself as the world's top male grooming brand by coming up
with a constant stream of new ideas to keep guys a step ahead in the mating game” (Unilever). If
sexual conduct was not involved in these advertisements around the world, chances are,
consumer rates may not have been as successful as they are. Sex will always sell, regardless of
cultural differences and religious morals, sex will unfortunately remain a gateway to producer.
NOT DONE!