"Special" Pleasure (wink, wink)
There's a conversation going on over at Chimp Media Monitoring following the Chimp Messiah's discovery of a great TV ad for Lynx body spray.
George Parker wonders, "Wouldn't it be great if someone could actually come up with a cologne concept that wasn't... "Spray this on, get laid?""
That would be great, but it will never happen. That is the only angle ever used by men's fragrances. Witness this ad for Old Spice, circa 1958. Tame, but the insinuation is obvious: Tad and Muffy are going to be getting and giving some special pleasure as a result of smelling nice.
Chimp says, "The target market for Lynx is the adolescent who is only interested in navigating his pork boat into the first available port." Absolutely true. Those who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) looking to get laid are the targets for men's fragrances. It used to be frat boys and young professionals like the man pictured here. Now, the target goes much lower, to middle school boys who take way too long in the bathroom. They used to whisper to the guys, "Hey, fella, your girlfriend might let you get to 2nd base tonight." Now they tell them, "Dude, you're gonna be in a four-way with that chick, her roommate and her cousin. And if her Mom busts you, she's gonna want in on some of what you're packin'."
The only other change from the old cologne marketing is that men were once encouraged to splash a bit on their faces. A bottle of Old Spice could last months, years even. Not good for sales. So now they call them "body sprays." Translation: use it liberally and then buy another can.
George Parker wonders, "Wouldn't it be great if someone could actually come up with a cologne concept that wasn't... "Spray this on, get laid?""
That would be great, but it will never happen. That is the only angle ever used by men's fragrances. Witness this ad for Old Spice, circa 1958. Tame, but the insinuation is obvious: Tad and Muffy are going to be getting and giving some special pleasure as a result of smelling nice.
Chimp says, "The target market for Lynx is the adolescent who is only interested in navigating his pork boat into the first available port." Absolutely true. Those who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) looking to get laid are the targets for men's fragrances. It used to be frat boys and young professionals like the man pictured here. Now, the target goes much lower, to middle school boys who take way too long in the bathroom. They used to whisper to the guys, "Hey, fella, your girlfriend might let you get to 2nd base tonight." Now they tell them, "Dude, you're gonna be in a four-way with that chick, her roommate and her cousin. And if her Mom busts you, she's gonna want in on some of what you're packin'."
The only other change from the old cologne marketing is that men were once encouraged to splash a bit on their faces. A bottle of Old Spice could last months, years even. Not good for sales. So now they call them "body sprays." Translation: use it liberally and then buy another can.
Labels: cologne marketing, old spice
Sent into orbit at
12:31 PM
8 Comments:
I'm tellin’ ya. All this Old Spice talk is like the Bat signal for English Leather. Watch, you’ll see.
By
Anonymous, at February 28, 2007 at 12:55 PM
And I don't think they've ever really capitalized fully on the Leather part of the name. Saddles and horses won't do it these days.
By
RFB, at February 28, 2007 at 1:03 PM
Seeing as Lynx / Axe pushes the most unambiguous spray me/lay me message, I'd like to see this campaign evolve to the next level: variations signalling sexual preference.
For example: Wear the Aztec brand, and you like to give it straight; Cool means you like oral. Sister brand Impulse would have complementary variations. Mind you, if a bloke were to accidentally spray himself with his girlfriend's Impulse, someone might try and take him up the arse.
Imagine the campaigns.
By
SchizoFishNChimps, at March 1, 2007 at 6:20 AM
Isn't that the truth, the epitome of this concept is the Tag (?) body spray ad where some guy sprays it on on a beach, and literally hundreds of bikini-clad women storm him from all directions. (rolling eyes).
And let's not forget half this stuff smells like crap.
By
Anonymous, at March 1, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Guys don't need a female Impulse because of the male impulse.
By
Anonymous, at March 1, 2007 at 1:55 PM
Sad but true: my 7 year old nephew wears cologne. The target market is getting younger and younger!!!
By
greencan, at March 1, 2007 at 2:51 PM
off-topic: I love the Zelig thing going on in your banners
By
SchizoFishNChimps, at March 2, 2007 at 3:54 AM
Cool, Chimp - glad someome caught that.
By
RFB, at March 2, 2007 at 10:55 PM
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