Ballsy promotions are nothing new for Axe Body Wash/Spray/Incense/Baby Powder, also known as the secret weapon of hormonal teenage boys everywhere.

The company’s latest stunt is certainly its most brazen. In order to promote a new line of products that will blasphemously be known as Axe Apollo, parent company Unilever enlisted former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (who is only the second person to walk on the moon, BTW) and the Space Expedition Corporation to create its new promo project: sending 22 customers into space.

We’re not exactly sure what intergalactic travel has to do with cologne, and we have a feeling that most members of the target demographic would go “into orbit” if a female so much as looked at them, nyuk nyuk. But Axe is never one to veer off-brand: This commercial, for example, reminds boys that astronauts always get chicks–even when there are heroic firefighters around.

Well, that was dumb.

The most interesting thing about this campaign: the promo concept came before the product.

Read more

Every member of the ad team responsible for promoting Axe grooming products clearly attended class on the day their marketing professors told them that “sex sells.”

Take, for instance, their ad featuring a stampede of half-naked women converging on one lone man (who apparently smells awesome) as the words “spray more, get more” appear on the screen. Not blunt enough for you? How about the shampoo bottle tagline that promises, “the cleaner to you are, the dirtier you get”? All this professional copywriting work sends one very clear message — use Axe, get laid.

Axe’s latest ad campaign, however, ventures into uncharted territory. In this case, the product’s ultimate benefit (sex) lies hidden beneath a very thinly veiled pseudo-PSA about water conservation. “Showerpooling”, as the company calls it, encourages young men to save water by showering with “a like-minded acquaintance or an attractive stranger”. While it’s pretty clear what might appeal to guys about this idea (and we don’t mean the eco-friendly part), Rob Candelino, vice president of marketing for U.S. skin care at Unilever (Axe’s parent company), swears the campaign really is about water conservation. Sort of.

Read more

Sun Country Foods is about to launch a campaign to introduce the many benefits of Kretschmer Wheat Germ to a new generation of consumers. 360 Public Relations in Boston has been selected to handle PR and Facebook development for the Kretschmer brand. Kretschmer, founded more than 75 years ago, is the largest producer of wheat germ in the U.S.

“The team at 360PR immediately understood the opportunity for Kretschmer and has delivered valuable insights and an actionable road map to connect consumers with our brand story, through both mass and social media,” said Sun Country Foods President and CEO Roy Lubetkin.

Unilever has chosen BBH to handle its hefty Dove Men+Care assignment, which will be handled by the Publicis Groupe agency’s London and New York offices. BBH is internationally known for its work with Axe, another Unilever personal-care brand, but has never worked with Dove, which has been primarily handled by Ogilvy. Read more