Axe is betting Gen Z is ready for a whiff of Y2K
Unilever’s deodorant brand Axe has spent the past decade evolving from the bro-y, hypersexualized ads that made it famous in the 2000s. Now, with Gen Z obsessing over Y2K nostalgia, the brand is nodding to its heritage — with a wink.
Axe on Monday said it is bringing back three of its “cult-favorite” fragrances: Kilo, Touch, and Anarchy, for a limited period.
There’s one key difference from the Axe cans of yore: The company said it has introduced new technology for a more controlled spray. In other words, they’re designed not to engulf the entire locker room in a pungent cloud at the press of the nozzle.
To back the launch, Axe is rolling out two online video spots. Both show men embracing their female partners. When the guys spray Axe — lightly — their partners say, “I wish I’d met you earlier,” before the ads reveal the guys’ younger, nerdier selves.
“You got better. So did we,” the tagline reads.
Data from the research firm Morning Consult suggests that favorability toward Axe among US millennial and Gen Z consumers has remained stable and largely positive since it began running surveys on the brand in 2022.
So, why the marketing push now?
Dolores Assalini, head of Axe US, told Business Insider the brand hopes to tap into Gen Z’s growing appetite for the Y2K aesthetic and culture.
It’s not alone. Sister Unilever brand Dove ran a Y2K-themed campaign during the Grammys featuring a reworked version of the Pussycat Dolls’ 2005 hit “Don’t Cha.” Fashion retailer Gap dug into the archives to revive its “long and lean” denim style from the early 2000s. A summer campaign for PepsiCo’s Bubly sparkling water was a millennial fever dream, featuring “One Tree Hill” actor Chad Michael Murray, set to “Dirty Little Secret” by The All-American Rejects.
“We are definitely owning our own history,” Assalini said, adding that the brand gets comments on its social media all the time — including from people in their 40s and 50s — asking whether it might bring back its past fragrances.
Axe is also working with creators, including Melissa Kristin, Jenna Barclay, Kevin Crow, and Angie Cocuzza, who are posting early 2000s-themed comedy skits. Overspraying is a common theme.
“We know guys did that. We know we didn’t help. And now we’re changing that,” Assalini said.