- Panel from 'Anarchy - The Graphic Novel', by Axe
It's no surprise that Axe deodorant body spray and its marketing is successful among men. Any straight male loves the imagery of bikini babes clamouring over one another to get closer to that hypnotizing scent. While not the most progressive idea, men are clearly entertained by it. So, naturally, when Axe's scent for women was launched, there was much anticipation as to what the ladies were in for. Unfortunately, Axe's efforts marketing to a female sensibility fall flat. A polite golf clap is all I can give them for trying so hard.
The new scent is called Anarchy, for Him and for Her, and the 30-second spot has already made its viral tour around the internet with mixed reviews. It features men equally drawn to women, and they come close, but never touch. All this, in front of a backdrop of chaos that would make Michael Bay pants-happy. While I'm sure that men, with an insatiable lust for destruction, found this to be entertaining, (the sprinkling of a sexy female sport team emerging from an overturned bus didn't hurt either.) But, I had to squint to see the appeal to the female audience. I'm not really sure how the women play into this marketing plan. They seem to be more of an after thought.
This product is positioned as the scent of seduction for men, but for the ladies it's more of, "I didn't have time to shower after the gym." It would be pretty hard to convince her to give up that special bottle of expensive perfume for something more common to wear while on the prowl. In this commercial, Axe fails to demonstrate any sort of benefit to the ladies other than male attention. And women only care about the true benefit of any product they purchase. In the past, Axe has gotten away with the repackaging of the same idea of desire when their target was strictly male, but now the brand has to be aware of changes that need to be made to get the ladies buying this for themselves.
The commercial isn't the only idea Axe has released in order to gain more of a buzz for this product. It's taken farther with the inclusion of a web-comic called 'Anarchy - The Graphic Novel' on the company's YouTube page. It too seems to cater more to the masculine ideal of action-adventure comics, with barely-empowering roles for women. While the story does feature female lead characters, the artists still found it necessary to outfit them with tight and shiny catsuits and above regulation-snug uniforms. They are all twisted into a user-generated plot line that is less than compelling, without showing any signs of real character development. It's more like an improv comic routine where a new sexy character is introduced when things start getting flaccid.
I will, however, give a nod to the best part of this campaign. Users, who submit valid ideas to the story line will have their image drawn into the pages as an extra. Men and women have actively participated in submitting plot twists and characters ideas, later finding themselves tagged on a panel. The artists have done a good job featuring both genders equally. Undoubtedly, there is a vast female audience for all types of comics. But this particular example still seems to favour men. This is clearly a big idea that is very unique and inspires users to get involved. Unfortunately, as a product marketed to both men and women, Axe failed to see that it is most likely that women would be the one plucking it off the shelf, and therefore making their approach more female-friendly.
So Axe? What Were You Thinking?
You clearly weren't thinking that straight women would want to see just as many sexualized men featured.
Or that a smell still isn't enough to have a women succumb to her baser instincts.
Or that women had a problem with that branding in the past and that your new product didn't listen.
Or that women would want to feel the power their gender might have with a mighty Axe, equipped for battle.
That's OK, you're still new to marketing to women, so we'll cut you some slack. Next time maybe bring in a few M2W experts to show you the ropes.
- Tell us what you think of this campaign in the comments below.
Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is upon us. The feast day of a saint overshadowed by the corporate world who compels us to overtly express our love in the forms of all things romantic. Unless you're single and you end up wearing black, eating greasy chinese and going to see a bad movie with all of the other single creatures in the land. No matter if you embrace the day or despise it, it's always amazing when someone you least expect surprises you with a token of affection on this day - someone like your favorite brand perhaps.
And, the smart companies don't limit themselves to the holidays. Everyday is an opportunity to show women who buy your brand some love. Simply put, she wants to feel recognized and desired by the people she buys from. She's not expecting anything extravagant, she just genuinely enjoys the little things in a relationship. Simplicity usually takes more effort and thought. So, keep it as simple as a personalized email or a hand-written thank you - just a sweet little something that communicates to her on a human level.
Just make sure whatever happens, it doesn't come across as an advertisement. That's hardly appreciation. If your customers constantly feel like they are being sold to, it de-humanizes your efforts. Try a couple of things and figure out what works best for your customers. It takes years of insight to build a solid relationship, but only seconds to destroy it. If you get it right and they feel the love, its another reason for a long lasting referral. If she feel special she will be more likely to recommend a brand to share the love with her friends. Just know that 68% of consumers will stop buying a brand if they perceive indifference from that company.
So make sure your company is working every angle to build a relationship the old fashion way with sincere, thoughtful and timely tokens of affection that warm your brand and your consumer's hearts. February 14th isn't the only day of the year expressions of love are welcome. Any day is a good day to remind a loyal customer they are appreciated.
- Name a brand that loves you back in the comments below.
Despite how well developed a brand's personality is, sometimes a well written tag-line still needs the perfect person to say it. The spokesperson your brand chooses is vital to the success of the campaign. Not only is he or she the entity which becomes the most recognizable rep, but also projects the level of aspiration the consumers hope to achieve in buying your brand.
Now there are two ways to go with a spokesperson. Like many successful companies you can choose a lesser-known character actor as a spokesperson, for example Progressive Insurance's Flo, the quirky sales rep brandishing a tricked-out price tagger. Or you can choose a celebrity with some star power and a preexisting audience.
The ideal spokesperson, fictional or celebrity, has to be someone agreeable.Whether your brand is funny or attractive or stylish or respectable, who you choose has to be easy to like and more importantly, hard to hate.
So it seems natural that JC Penney, a brand that struggled through 2011, would want to reinvent themselves with a new logo, a new price structure, renovated locations and most importantly a new spokeswoman. At the beginning of February, the department store retailer decided to partner up with Ellen DeGeneres as a friendly face with a lot of star power to take them into a new direction.
This isn't the first commercial endeavour for comedienne Ellen, as she's appeared in American Express and Cover Girl spots with both showcasing her humour and honest voice respectively. So despite much anticipation of her comedy and style this daytime host will bring to the upcoming JC Penney ad campaign, controversy has already emerged.
A group known as The One Million Moms (OMM) is already pissed off. OMM is a subchapter of The American Family Association and on their website they identify as pro-life, pro-family and in the pursuit of biblical truth. So it's no mystery that the only problem they have with Ellen is her un-flaunted sexuality.
Apparently, not even the OMM could protest enough for JC Penney to change their decision. Despite the threats of boycott JC Penney recognized the increased audience a celebrity brings to the table. JC Penney is showing they understand their female customer base. Women as consumers are warmer and welcoming and despite those who can't get past outdated stigmas, are happy to embrace an every-woman like Ellen.
Women want brands to be like their friends. In the past JC Penney had a very vanilla brand personality and now with Ellen they are sure to bring some of her bright, lively vitality to their stores and some of her fans dollars to their bottom line. So in the end JC Penney and Ellen DeGeneres are sure to come out on top.
- Tell us if a spokesperson ever turns you off a brand in the comments below.
- Part of Norman Rockwell's: "The Gossips"
When I was a kid I played a game called broken telephone. You might know it as something different, but in essence you whispered a sentance into someone's ear and they pass the message along. The last person would announce what the twisted sentence became, which was always different and usually embarrassing, and some prankster would add 'purple-monkey-dishwasher' on the end.
I think word-of-mouth marketing (WOM) works like this game, in both ways. It can spread a message like wildfire, but that message isn't always as it was intended to be. There have been times when friends of mine have told me about an epic sale or deal that totally changed their life. Then, when I went to take advantage of this too-good-to-be-true deal, it turns out it's not all it's cracked up to be. Remember, the telephone is broken. But with the help of social media, consumers are able to provide links to information straight from the source and eliminate all the misunderstanding. Reason number one why WOM marketing becomes so important.
It's important to know that consumers now-a-days, especially of the female persuasion, will listen more closely to their friend and even still strangers, who are in the same consumer camp. Anyone else besides the smooth-talkin', name tag wearin', shiny shoed sales rep, who will pretty much do anything to close the deal. Holly Housewife would rather take advice from Convict Carla, just as long as they both were in the market for the same product or service. A fellow consumer would never betray one of their own.
What consumers expect from marketers is the truth, plain and simple and when companies have appearances to uphold, the truth sometimes seems to get swept under the rug. Trust is the name of the game and if they don't trust you, they most certainly will not buy from you. But don't fret, if your company is doing everything it should be, then there isn't anything to worry about.
It's when a customer gets upset that the WOM message seems to find its way farther, with more velocity and the wrath of a thousand suns. Consumers are twice as likely to vent negative messages through forums like social media and websites, than they are gratitude for a job well done. Which makes sense because, as momma would say: "the squeaky wheel gets the oil." Ignoring negative feedback is never smart for you company, and removing it is even worse. This only goes to show your customer how little their happiness means to you. And I don't know about you, but I expect a certain level of happiness from products that are supposed to make my life better and my satisfaction should be equal to your company's bottom line.
However, after all that, WOM marketing is a powerful advertising tool when women are the target audience. Mostly because women are sharers. Unlike men, who feel a sense of victory and ownership of a good deal. He is more likely to keep that piece of info for himself in order to hold it above the heads of his friends. Women will instead invite friends to come along for the shopping trip. It's less about me and more about we. A shared experience is a more enriched and fulfilling one, especially when you're getting a kick-ass deal on something.
The power of social media has really put the power back in the hands of the consumers. So next time something doesn't live up to their expectations you're going to hear about it. And also be sure to note that their friends know, that their friends know, that "your company totally blows, purple-monkey-dishwasher."
- Tell us about how you share your feedback in the comments below
This year I was surprised and delighted to catch a glimpse of a Super Bowl ad that stood out from the rest. The ad has been online for quite some time now, but buying a spot during the game really goes to show how serious H&M is about this new product. David Beckham's body wear collection for H&M was the clear cut winner for the best ad that spoke to women.
It's clear to see that the football audience isn't an old boys club anymore. More than ever before, women are painting their faces in the stadium or are plunked right next to their boys on the couch. About 42% of women identify as football fans and 375,000 women attended a professional game in the past year. Even the NFL itself recognizes their female audience with an exclusive women's fashion line. So I think it's about time there was a break in the usual bikini-clad spokesmodel commercial. The Beckham ad shows that a fashion brand can roll with the big dogs in getting noticed on one of the highest rated television events of the year.
Even though the product itself is for men, it will most likely be a woman picking them up from the shop, or dragging her man in to get it himself. After all it's women who hold the buying power for most households, and I'm sure this spot has got them lusting after these man-panties enough to have the racks cleared by sundown. But they just need to remember that the trunks won't magically turn that man's keg into a six-pack.
The H&M ad was greatly successful and has already created a multitude of buzz, if there is one thing H&M knows how to do, it's to get their customers clawing and fighting for their featured products. I'm sure, just like every featured product as seen in their seasonal posters, these undies will be hard to find in a few weeks.
- Tell us how well football and fashion mix in the comments below.
Women make or influence 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions BUT....91% of women feel misunderstood or ignored by marketers and advertisers.
This gap represents a huge business opportunity for those marketers who 'Get it Right'; who speak their female customers' language; who understood what women need brands to do for them.
This video, called the Break Up, is a brilliant and humorous take on what's going on between marketers and the female consumers they claim to be serving.
The conversation in the video sums up the frustration women are having with brands and businesses who 'just aren't getting IT':
"You do all the talking. It's not a dialogue."
"You're saying you love me, but you're not behaving like you love me. It's not genuine."
"I've changed, and you haven't"
"We don't even hang out in the same places anymore."
"You're not even listening, are you?"
"If you knew me, you'd know I don't care about that."
Today's consumers, and female consumers in particular, have changed dramatically. They want more - much more.
Smart companies - the ones who listen and respond - will be rewarded with considerable profits and a larger share of this lucrative market.
What are you doing to 'Keep the Love Alive' between you and your female customers?