Artikelverktyg

• Skriv ut
• 

Destination 

Axe is a deodorant series for men from Unilever targeting M15-34. For quite some time, Axe had only run product-focused campaigns in Sweden. During fall 2008, however, Axe wanted to create attention for the brand and its qualities as well as communicate the core value humour.

Five half-hour long TV shows called The GameKillers had been aired in the States during 2007. The series, which in a humorous way describes guys' dating problems, was created at a strategy brainstorming session around the Axe brand with the New York agency BBH and Unilever. The concept and the program idea have their origin in the Axe brand and thus The GameKillers can be called a brand-created TV series. When Mindshare heard of the fun and successful TV format, we recommended Unilever in the Nordics to let us take lead in negotiating terms for the Nordic region and adapt the concept in the most ultimate way, based on the various local market conditions.

Platform

Axe has a young, male and demanding target group. They constantly want to be challenged and surprised and demand to be engaged by an advertiser's campaign, not interrupted by it.

TV is generally a good channel for the FMCG category. However, as is widely known, the Axe target group can no longer be reached solely through the TV screen. The niche channels are no doubt still successful in the target group, but an engaging solution on several different platforms, and not just TV, is often needed for a successful campaign concept. This way, traffic can be created between the different channels, enabling the campaign to thrive. The Internet is naturally a given platform for Axe to use when creating such an added value. Also, the personal, physical meeting with an FMCG brand can become very strong if the product and the context are relevant.

Mindshare saw the potential in American show The GameKillers and sold it to a number of Nordic TV channels. The series is neither a traditional product placement nor a sponsorship. Of course, there is a natural connection to Axe in the program: "you can still keep the cool and win the girl", but the actual product is never discussed or displayed. The show was renamed Axe GameKillers and was locally adapted to work in each respective market.

The strategy was to build a truly engaging multichannel solution with the program as the base, where all the elements drove traffic to other platforms. The team was  well aware of the fact that it was of utmost importance that the communication affected and involved the target group.

Design & Delivery

In the Swedish adaptation of Axe GameKillers, there were four important platforms, the TV series, the web, the events and the mobile, all naturally driving traffic to other platforms.

• In connection with the half-hour long show on the two niche channels ZTV and TV6, competition spots directed the viewers to the web and the event.
• There were also sponsor billboards in connection to the format, where the Axe brand was mentioned as the sponsor -  Tele2 -  presented the possibility of watching Axe GameKillers through the mobile.
• On the web, there were detailed descriptions of the Axe GameKiller characters with short film clips. The target group was also involved through uploading their own film contributions with date-busting tips. These films were rated and could of course be forwarded to friends.
• At shopping mall events, Axe products could be tested. People were also filmed in an Axe studio explaining how best to ruin a date. Trailers for the show were broadcast at the events and there were computers on site through which you could get to know the series better. You also received discounts to shop Axe products at your local H&M store.

Effectiveness

• The total Axe Gamekillers campaign reached 43% of the target group
• Brand likeability was 31% higher among those who had seen the show
• Product likeability was 21% higher among those who had seen the show
• Purchase probability was 27% higher among those who had seen the show
• One of the core values, humour, had increased by 14 % in the target group after the campaign.
• There was also an increase in all image parameters among those who had seen the program
• 30% of those who saw the TV show think it's something they would tell their friends about and would like to see more of.
• Over-all, this was a campaign that improved the image of Axe in terms of being humorous and had a positive effect on a difficult target group