Unilever continues to spend millions on commercial gimmicks aimed at attracting a certain market to their product ‘Axe Body Spray’ (marketed as ‘Lynx’ in Europe). The marketing is centered on sex appeal, and have been criticized for ‘objectifying’ women. Ironically Unilever is the same company that owns the ‘Dove’ brand, which sports a unique marketing campaign based on how ‘real women’ look like. (See my blog on Ben Barry and Dove’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’).

The two videos below will illustrate what I mean. Same company, two different brands, two fundamentally opposite marketing campaigns.

Personally speaking, I believe that products like Axe are a cheap substitute to real cologne. Unfortunately, many North American men are helpless when it comes to choosing and wearing cologne, preferring to instead go the day/date on after-shave, or the lingering scent of their shower’s body wash.

Enter the mighty Axe, offering a convenient and easy alternative to cologne that falls between body-wash and aftershave, without all the fuss of ‘sophistimacation’ needed to select and wear colognes.

Almost all of my female friends indicated that they don’t like the smell of Axe on a man. On the other hand, seldom do I hear a woman criticize a man with a well worn cologne. The difference between real cologne and products like Axe may not be too clear to the unwary man, but women will notice the difference. It’s the difference between picking up your date in a Mercedes, and driving up to her house in a Pinto with the word “Benz” spray painted across the trunk.

And so I come to your rescue, dear male readers and female seekers of hope. While I am not a Perfumista (that is what a fragrance expert is called), I will attempt to impart some of the limited knowledge I accrued from years of purchasing cologne. I will also be recommending a number of options that are guaranteed to make her ‘sniff twice’ and smile.

Check the blog for Part 2 of this post to learn how to select the right cologne.