Various Axe/Lynx products
Axe, or Lynx (see below), 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.
Axe's lead product is a deodorant body spray. The brand also includes deodorant sticks, roll-ons, anti-perspirants, aftershaves and shower gels. In most of the world the brand is named Axe; in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom it is named Lynx due to conflicts regarding the trademark.
[edit] History
Axe was launched in France in 1983 by Unilever. It was inspired by another of Unilever's brands Impulse. Impulse was a fragranced deodorant body spray for women that promised wearers male attention [1]. Unilever were keen to capitalize on Axe's French success and rolled it out in the rest of Europe from 1985 onwards, later introducing the other products in the range. Because at the time the UK market fell under the Elida Gibbs division of Unilever, the division chose to launch the product under the Lynx brand name as opposed to Axe.
The European launch of the deodorant was followed by success in Latin America and moderate impact in Asia and Africa. In the new millennium the brand has launched with great success in the USA and Canada.[2] The company has also consolidated its deodorant portfolio by migrating other over-lapping male deodorants into the Axe brand such as South Africa's Ego brand.
[edit] Variants
From its launch, the yearly fragrance variant of Axe has played a key part in the success of the brand, by offering something new each year. The type of fragrance variants have evolved over time. From 1983 until about 1989, the variant names were descriptions of the odor of the fragrance inside and included Musk, Spice, Amber, Marine and Oriental.
From 1990 until 1996 geographic names were used such as Africa, Alaska, Java, Nevada and Inca. From 1996 to 2002 Axe took inspiration from Calvin Klein fragrances (also owned by Unilever at that time), using the same perfumer, Anne Gottlieb[3], to develop the fragrances to launch variants such as Dimension, Apollo, Voodoo, Gravity and Phoenix.
From 2003 Axe variants showed clever ways they helped men get women. In 2003 the Pulse fragrance showed how it gave geeky men the confidence to dance to get women[4]. This was followed by Touch[5], Unlimited[6], Clix[7] and in 2007 Vice[7] was marketed on a theme of making "nice" women become "naughty".
In 2008 a different direction was taken when a chocolate scented body spray, Dark Temptation, was released.[8]
[edit] Axe Yearly Variant Chronology
Axe's list of yearly body-spray variants is as follows. Please note this list does not include limited edition or short lived variants, as these are listed in a following table.
| Year |
Variant Name |
Description |
Notes |
| 1983 |
Amber[9], Musk[10], Spice[11] |
Variant name is a description of fragrance inside. |
The first three variants that Axe launched with in France. |
| 1985 |
Amber, Musk, Spice |
Variant name is a description of fragrance inside. |
In this year these three variants were used to launch the brand in UK.[1] |
| 1987 |
Oriental[12] |
Variant name is a description of fragrance inside. |
This was the first 'new' variant that Axe launched and started a strategy of a yearly new variants |
| 1989 |
Marine[13] |
Variant name is a description of fragrance inside. |
|
| 1995 |
Africa |
A warm spicy fragrance that evokes the continent of Africa. |
Africa has consistently been the biggest variant in UK and still is in 2008 |
| 1998 |
Apollo[14] |
An abstract variant |
Named after the Greek god |
| 1999 |
Voodoo[15] |
An abstract variant |
Caused some controversy with Christian groups who objected to the use of black magic imagery |
| 2000 |
Phoenix[16] |
An abstract variant |
The name references the myth of the Phoenix |
| 2001 |
Gravity[17] |
An abstract variant |
The advertising featured a man falling to earth |
| 2002 |
Dimension[18] |
An abstract variant |
Inspired by the Sony's PS2 Third Place advertising[citation needed] which is also targeted at young men |
| 2002 |
Apollo, Kilo, Orion, Phoenix, Tsunami, Voodoo |
Axe launches in USA[1]. |
This is the line up that Axe launched with in USA |
| 2003 |
Pulse |
A European variant suggests that it gives geeks added confidence so they can pull off crazy dance moves to impress girls and be irresistible[4]. |
Used the Make Luv dance track which reached number 1 in UK. |
| 2003 |
Essence |
This US variant was about Man, part good - part bad, and has an angel/demon icon |
Used TV advertising that showed two sides to a man's relationship with women |
| 2004 |
Touch |
Touch is all about getting women so excited they get turned on just by looking at a man who is wearing this scent. |
The TV advert features women getting more and more turned on[5] |
| 2005 |
Unlimited |
Unlimited is all about China and kungfu and doing unlimited stunts to get girls |
Mimics the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Chinese kungfu film[6]. |
| 2006 |
Clix or Click |
This variant makes men so attractive to women they will need a clicker to keep score of the number of women who check them out |
Uses Nick Lachey in the advertising who is out-scored by a hotel worker who wears Clix. Axe gave away free clickers to promote the scent. The lynx version uses Ben Affleck in the advertising instead of Nick Lachey.[7] |
| 2007 |
Vice |
The Vice variant claims that it will turn 'nice girls naughty' thanks to the forbidden fruits in the fragrance. The phrase "virgo in flagrante delicto" is printed in mirrored text on the spray, body wash, and deodorant stick. |
Uses a Morgan Freeman look-a-like in the advertising that mimics the style of a crime film. [19] |
| 2008 |
Chocolate |
A chocolate smelling fragrance that implies that because women like chocolate, they will find men who smell of chocolate irresistible. |
Advertising features a man who turns into chocolate when he sprays himself with Axe. He then goes on to be eaten by a series of women.[8] |
| 2008 |
Instinct |
A fragrance that combines the scent of rare leathers |
The scent is made up of a special formulation of ingredients that include cardamom, amber and atlas cedarwood to produce a spicy scent of leather.[20] |
| 2008 |
Fever |
An abstract variant. |
A fragrance infused with Brazilian orange essence. |
[edit] Axe Limited Edition Chronology
Axe also launches limited edition variants from time to time that may be on sale for a few months or over a year.
| Year |
Limited Edition Name |
Description |
Notes |
| 2008 |
DRY Sharp Focus |
A 'stimulating' mint smelling fragrance allowing the wearer to stay focused and get the girl. |
Advertising features a man that stays focused when he sprays himself with Axe. |
| 2008 |
Recover |
A burst of invigorating citrus notes on a clean masculine woody background! |
One of the 2 scents released by AXE under LIMITED EDITION. |
| 2008 |
Shock |
Prepare yourself with the cooling effects of AXE Shock shower gel with glacier water and deep sea mint |
One of the 2 scents released by AXE under LIMITED EDITION. |
[edit] Gallery of Commonwealth variants
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Lynx Unlimited (new style)
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AXE Recover (Limited Edition)
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[edit] Controversy
Adverse publicity has been generated by accusations of:
- Sexist and degrading advertising [21]
- Contradictory messages versus Dove which is also owned by Unilever [21]
- Being seen to encourage sexual promiscuity [22]
- Harmful effect of Volatile Organic Compounds in aerosol deodorant on mothers and babies [23]
- Link between ingredients found in aerosols and damage to the environment [24]
- Includes ingredients tested on animals [25]
- Targeting adverts at underage children [26]
- Being banned in schools because of the health risks [27]
- Potential for solvent abuse and subsequent death amongst young males [28]
- On January 12, 2008 a 12 year old boy in Derbyshire, England died in hospital five days after collapsing at his home. The medical coroner ruled that he had suffered from cardiac arrhythmia and died from heart failure as a result of excessive use of Lynx. [29] [30]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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