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The brand, formerly known as the fragrance for douchebags everywhere, aims to change this perception with a new, more inclusive ad.
The AXE brand has always pretty much catered to dudebros. You know the kind: men who tell you to smile in the street as if they own you, think the word “no” is just a challenge, and use the word “gay” to describe things that aren’t cool.
But it looks like the brand doesn’t want to be associated with that kind of persona anymore. Or, at least, they’re trying to appeal to all men instead of just one small, select group.
A recently released commercial doesn’t feature the Adonis-like models we’re used to seeing in male grooming ads, but a range of men who portray different ideas of masculinity. In one scene, a black dancer is seen vogueing like nobody’s business in a pair of gorgeous stiletto heels. Another scene shows a man in a wheelchair dancing passionately with a woman. Then there’s the two men sharing a sweet moment in a book store.
Watch it, it will delight you so:
"Who needs some other thing, when you've got your thing? Now work on it," says a voiceover in the last few seconds of the ad. It’s cool, it’s powerful and it’s positive.
So what brought on this change in advertising? What is the brand trying to say and do? According to a press release on Yahoo!, they want men to “shed outdated views of masculinity to embrace what makes them unique.”
"Masculinity today is going through seismic changes. More than ever, guys are rejecting rigid male stereotypes," said Matthew McCarthy, Senior Director, AXE & Men's Grooming for Unilever. "We've been part of guys' lives for decades, and AXE champions real guys and the unique traits that make them attractive to the world around them."
So instead of worrying about being a “real man” (no one is made of plastic and tin foil), do exactly what AXE wants you to do and find your magic. Hopefully other brands will soon start to follow suit and make men and women feel like they can be anything they want, instead of trying to bully them into buying products they don’t actually need.
