Jan 15 2009
One Way to Know If Your Branding Sticks
We all know what our branding exercises say about our companies, but how do we know if our customers are absorbing the message? One way would be to follow the lead of Axe Body Spray (a.k.a. Lynx, for those of you in the UK), who was recently the subject of a scientific study by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.
According to a recent Ad Age report, the marketing behind Axe’s product lines produces a placebo effect among its male users, making them feel more attractive and more confident, which in turn leads female observers to note their confidence and rate them as more attractive than their competing non-Axe suitors. To put it succinctly, Axe Body Spray works — not because it smells great to women, but because men believe it does.
Regardless of how you feel about their products or message, you’ve got to hand it to their marketing team. While their TV spots are probably their most memorable, the brand does an excellent job of extending that identity across print, the web, although to a lesser extent, email.
As Stephen Colbert pointed out on Monday, if spraying Axe on something makes it more attractive, why can’t we just spray some Axe on the economy and forget this bailout business?
