Axe: Young and Mature
Axe wanted to broaden its appeal beyond a narrow demographic, demonstrating brand versatility. The client needed an innovative, interactive campaign to show that Axe attracted both young and mature women. The challenge was to engage young men playfully, highlighting the product's universal allure and expanding its perceived desirability across different female segments, ultimately boosting market presence.
Creative Idea
Axe created a 3D video where viewers saw young or mature women with one eye, proving its broad appeal.
Axe created a unique 3D video experience that allows viewers to see different women (young and mature) by using only their right or left eye, creating an innovative and engaging visual illusion. The campaign aims to showcase the versatility of the Axe brand by presenting multiple perspectives and attracting different audience segments through a playful and interactive marketing approach.
The One Eye Trick That Redefined Attraction
The Stereoscopic Dual Narrative
To achieve the "Young & Mature" effect without 3D glasses, director Maxi Blanco and the production team at Landia utilized an interlaced film track system. This "active" storytelling required viewers to physically interact with the media by closing one eye to filter the light, effectively gamifying the concept of attraction. Hernán Ponce, Chief Creative Officer at Ponce, noted that the goal was to put the user in the "driver's seat" of their own visual experience, moving away from the one - dimensional approach to desire that had previously defined the brand.
A Strategic Pivot Toward Sophistication
Launched in early 2012, this campaign marked a significant cultural shift for Unilever. While Axe was historically associated with juvenile humor, this project introduced a more "enlightened" view of masculinity. By launching two diametrically opposed fragrances - Axe Young and Axe Mature - simultaneously, the brand tested market preferences across broader age groups. The "Axe Experience" microsite became a landmark case study for "lean - in" digital content, where organic sharing across tech blogs helped reposition the brand as a leader in technological innovation.
From Juvenile Humor to Global Reach
The campaign's success was measured by its ability to acknowledge that attraction spans different generations. This strategic evolution eventually paved the way for the 2016 "Find Your Magic" global relaunch. By using technology to show multiple perspectives of desire, Ponce Buenos Aires successfully transitioned Axe from a "young guy's" brand to a sophisticated player in the personal care market, proving that the "Axe Effect" was universal rather than age - restricted.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Axe has a long-standing reputation for provocative, male-centric marketing that pushes boundaries. They possess the creative equity to experiment with 'first-of-its-kind' digital interactions that gamify the concept of attraction.
Category
The category traditionally relies on passive, high-glamour TV spots or scent strips in magazines. Most fragrance brands focus on a single, static persona, rarely offering consumers an interactive way to experience product versatility.
Customer
Young men often experience a tension between different archetypes of attraction and desire. They seek digital entertainment that is clever, slightly transgressive, and puts them in the 'driver's seat' of their own visual experience.
Culture
The early 2010s saw a massive resurgence in 3D technology and a shift toward 'lean-in' digital content where users expected to interact with and manipulate video media rather than just watching it.
Company
Axe has a long-standing reputation for provocative, male-centric marketing that pushes boundaries. They possess the creative equity to experiment with 'first-of-its-kind' digital interactions that gamify the concept of attraction.
Category
The category traditionally relies on passive, high-glamour TV spots or scent strips in magazines. Most fragrance brands focus on a single, static persona, rarely offering consumers an interactive way to experience product versatility.
Strategy:
Leverage 3D visual illusions to gamify male desire, making the brand the interactive curator of diverse attraction fantasies.
Customer
Young men often experience a tension between different archetypes of attraction and desire. They seek digital entertainment that is clever, slightly transgressive, and puts them in the 'driver's seat' of their own visual experience.
Culture
The early 2010s saw a massive resurgence in 3D technology and a shift toward 'lean-in' digital content where users expected to interact with and manipulate video media rather than just watching it.
Strategy:
Leverage 3D visual illusions to gamify male desire, making the brand the interactive curator of diverse attraction fantasies.
Strategy Technique
Turn Weakness Into Strength
Axe's perceived weakness was its narrow demographic appeal. The campaign directly countered this by showcasing the product's universal allure to both young and mature women.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Cutting-edge Tech
The campaign utilized a unique 3D video experience to create an interactive visual illusion. This bleeding-edge technology allowed Axe to playfully demonstrate its universal appeal across different demographics.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its audacious and highly creative use of anaglyph 3D visual effects to tell a compelling story of dual attraction, blending technical artistry with a truly original narrative concept.
The consistent and creative application of the anaglyph 3D effect, particularly its execution without requiring actual 3D glasses, is the central and most striking element, brilliantly conveying the idea of dual attraction and the 'split' identity of the Axe products.
The ingenious core idea of visually representing the "Young" and "Mature" appeal through a single, distorted image that prompts the viewer to 'choose' by closing an eye is highly original, engaging, and effectively communicates the product proposition.
The rapid cuts and seamless transitions between the two women and their intertwined experiences, all while maintaining the complex visual effect, are very well executed, enhancing the dynamic and fluid narrative.
The deliberate use of a restricted color palette (red and cyan) and atmospheric lighting complements and amplifies the 3D effect, creating a distinct and memorable aesthetic that reinforces the campaign's central theme.
The true magic of this campaign arises from the perfect synergy between its innovative visual effects, the clever core concept, precise editing, and distinctive art direction, all working together to deliver a unique and memorable experience.
