This is the original, unjammed ad.
Axe is no stranger to the realm of exaggerated and controversial advertisements as they are notorious for their usage of sex appeal and strong heterosexual, male oriented themes. In this particular ad, Axe presents the image of a Caucasian male, roughly in his 20s, applying Axe body spray to himself in the locker room. The application of the product is implied to elicit a positive response from the user, as the featured male subject is visibly in a state of satisfaction and comfort. The unsprayed portion of his body is presented as hairy and overweight which is presented as undesirable. This is in contrast to the parts of his body which are assumed to have already been sprayed, which include a more defined and lean musculature coupled with distinct facial features and a pronounced jawline achieved via heavy usage of post production shadowing. Altogether, Axe suggests that their product possesses transformative properties, enabling “unattractive men” to cleanse themselves of their undesirable physicality.
These are the problems I will be addressing in my jamming of the ad. Firstly, this ad presents a dichotomy for masculinity, through the upper and lower portions of the subject’s body. This toxic marketing conveys the idea that to be viewed as masculine and desirable, you must have a certain body type and that usage of Axe will enable the acquisition of this body type. Images of masculinity are presented throughout the media and advertisements like this only seek to perpetuate harmful feelings of inadequacy in the male population. This is similar to the unrealistic ideals of the “perfect female body”, cast on the female population. This is accentuated by the fat shaming nature of the ad, as their product is presented as responsible for the subject’s transformation from large and hairy to lean and clean-shaven. While this is done in poor taste by Axe, this is also a gross misrepresentation of their product’s capability.
This is my jammed version of the above ad.
The goal of my jamming was to dispel the false advertising presented by Axe. I began by altering the subject’s physique to match with the lower half originally presented in the ad. This was done to demonstrate that their body spray does not have any transformative powers. I then repurposed a portion of the original ad in the form of a thought bubble, to demonstrate the perceived effect of using the product felt by actual consumers due to Axe’s marketing, my interpretation of the true “Axe Effect”. This highlights the delusion that customers are knowingly (and possibly unknowingly) buying into when they purchase Axe products. I also added two captions. The first was merely meant to draw the viewer back to reality, questioning what they were really expecting from a body spray. The second addition was my way of calling out the brand’s disservice to society coupled with the year the brand was first introduced.
Axe’s positioning of themselves as able to grant desirable masculine physiques is false and harmful to the minds of young men in the process of forming their own ideas of masculinity. First, there is the suggestion that only lean and clean shaven is desirable, which implies that anything else is undesirable. Second, I had also hoped to indirectly suggest that the issue of idolizing a single body type is a growing issue in the male population, spanning males of all races and orientations. These ideals are particularly harmful to young people, who are actively trying to understand their identity and positioning in society as such projections spur feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. Axe may sell nothing more than fragrances and body washes, but the danger lies in the harmful ideas of hegemonic masculinity they are perpetuating. I had hoped that by insulting the ludicrous claims of the ad, it would cause potential buyers to think twice about handing over their money to Axe. Ideally, this would lead to a decline in sales which would then necessitate a change in marketing or branding at Axe, resulting in a movement away from these kinds of ads.
References:
Ad and images obtained from:
https://media-exp2.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAA1WAAAAJDU1Y2RmYTdiLTg2ODUtNDMwNy05OWU3LTdiMDZkODY2ZWI0Mg.png
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