[NY Daily News]: Axe Body Spray -- Magic potion for sex? (my article)

Hey fellas, (and Isabel),

What do you think of Axe body spray? Just did a piece in the NY Daily News about the stuff. Curious if you feel the same way...

Link

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By JEFF WILSER

There's a magic potion for guys. A *potion that all but guarantees sex.
Not just regular sex, but *supermodel sex. The kind where women peel off their clothes in the *supermarket, begging for hot action.

Guys are buying this potion, lapping it up in droves. And why not? At Duane Reade, a 4-ounce bottle of love juice is only $4.99.

There's only one catch. According to many girls, the potion, er, doesn't actually work. In fact, it can even repel hotties like bug spray.

The potion is called Axe.

Axe body spray has become the go-to scent for a generation of frat boys. It's big business. According to Mintel International Group, men's toiletries represent a billion-dollar industry, with deodorants and body sprays comprising the biggest chunk at 60%. Axe's parent company, Unilever, estimates this year's sales at $270 million. It starts with the ads. "You spray this stuff on yourself, you're getting [sex] instantly," says Will Dean, art director for the ad agency Venables, Bell & Partners. "That's the ad in a nutshell."

Unlike conventional "sex sells" commercials that feature jiggling bikinis, the Axe ads are a bit more subtle. In one, a model's bare back has the imprint of a dinner plate and silverware, with the words "It Can Happen Anywhere" *below.

"It's a very over-the-top idea, communicated in subtle ways," says Dean. "There's some wit involved. The viewer has to connect the dots. They're well-executed."

Guys like Tony, an Astoria-based, 26-year-old computer programmer, have swallowed the hype. "I'm ashamed to admit it," he says, "but yeah, I use it. Anything that can help me [hook up] is probably good."

Then there's the "more is more" theory. Derreck Johnson, who lives in Flatbush and hits Manhattan clubs several nights a week, says, "If I first spray the cologne, and then spray the Axe, it helps make the cologne last longer. I go to the clubs, and girls tell me it smells good all the time. It's like a sealant."

The source of Johnson's gushing confidence doesn't come cheap. According to Mintel, Unilever has poured $100 million of advertising into the body spray. (Imitators followed. Gillette launched the body spray Tag, although its sales are less than 18% of Axe's, according to InformationResources Inc.)

"It's not a magic pill," concedes Kevin George, marketing director for deodorants at Unilever. "But it's there to give guys confidence. In what we like to call the ‘mating game,' when you're 18 years old, the girls hold all the cards. We give guys an added boost of confidence by making them smell great."

Ah, the mating game. Which brings us to the great Axe-paradox: Some girls find it repugnant.

"I can't tell you how horrible it is to be stuck in an airplane seat next to an Axe-wearing guy," says Tania, 28, a cute lawyer who could double as one of those model/attorneys in "Boston Legal." "You actually start to taste the spray, the smell is so unbearable."

Or there's Erica, who wrinkles her nose and says, "I associate Axe with cheesiness. And I don't date cheesy guys."


Mr. Write wonders: Can Axe cut it?

I decided to put Axe to the test.

At a midtown Duane Reade, my Axe options abound, from "Fire" (Hot? Sexy? Sweaty and stinky?) to "Tsunami" (which, well, suddenly seems inappropriate). There's also "Phoenix," "Voodoo," "Orion," "Kilo," "Essence" and "Apollo." But I go with the most provocatively named — "Touch" — for my experiment.

The application technique, according to Kevin George (see main piece), is called the "Lucky Seven." It involves squirting across the chest and down the stomach. A couple of sprays under the arms. A spritz on the neck. No need to dispense product "down there," says George. "That's a pretty sensitive area, so we don't recommend it."

Since the Axe effect could happen anywhere, I clear my afternoon of appointments. I am thankful to be single, just in case I'm ambushed by spontaneous sex at the bagel stand. I walk with a strut. I smile at girls on the street. I hold eye contact. I am an Axe man.

After 15 minutes of little eye contact — and no sex — I spray on even more Axe. Then I'm ready for some serious scrutiny: the fragrance counter at Barneys New York. I ask the *experts to smell me, consider the scent and give an honest report.

Staffer Fabricia Moscoso, who has the perfect-10 looks they promise in the ads, smells my wrists. She leans her head into my chest, inhaling. Her hair brushes against my neck. At last — the Axe effect is working!

She looks deep in my eyes. "Hmmm. It smells a little girly."

"Eh," her co-worker, Yanina, adds. "Not very sexy."

They wave over another expert, Daniel, who is more charitable. "It's very young. Lots of citrus. But it's not bad. A very clean smell. I like it. It's a little like Calvin Klein."

Great, so it's a hit with the guys.

In fairness, once I unveil my secret scent, all three experts are impressed. "It's actually a good quality for a drugstore fragrance," says Fabricia. "For women's brands, there's usually a big difference between designer labels and the cheap stuff. Here, the dropoff isn't so bad. It's definitely not Old Spice."

And with a new shower gel, a *parade of advertisements and racy *online marketing games like the ones at Mojomastergame.com, Axe is here to stay.

But are the girls?