Word: axing
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...1940s of Chow's teeming fantasy, Shanghai is terrorized by the Axe Gang, a thug team as dapper as they are vicious: they don black suits and top hats, and rumba to a rumble. Only one area, Pig Sty Alley, is temporarily immune to their predations--in part because the neighborhood is so poor, in part because all the residents, from the baker and the tailor to the kids and seniors, are skilled in martial arts. The Landlady (Yuen Qiu), spuming belligerence, can suck a cigarette to cinders in one deep breath, and has a lion's roar scream that...
...this spritzing has caused quite a sweat in the deodorant industry. Sparked largely by Axe's success, a fierce fight has developed among Unilever's Axe, Procter & Gamble's Old Spice and Gillette's Right Guard. (P&G and Gillette have announced plans to merge.) Although sales of Old Spice, for instance, have grown for 10 straight years, Axe is the mover of the moment. Unilever has spent more than $100 million marketing the brand since its August 2002 launch. Wearing Axe will lead to the ultimate male fantasies, imply the ads; one shows a refrigerator stuffed with nothing...
...Axe has also changed the dynamics of the deodorant category by convincing young men that they need to spray their entire bodies several times a day. Thirty-five percent of guys 11 to 24 now wear body spray, according to Unilever. And users go through cans faster than they do deodorant sticks. The financial reality: while Axe Bodyspray is priced slightly higher than antiperspirants--at $3.99 a can vs. $2.76 on average for a stick--it's a lot cheaper than a $50 bottle of cologne. A teen can certainly afford Axe on his allowance...
...response to the Axe onslaught, Old Spice created Red Zone Body Spray in 2004, marketing its purported lasting scent. "Old Spice represents honesty, and we do that with straightforward ads," says Carl Stealey, P&G's brand manager. The company also signed up NASCAR driver Tony Stewart and Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher as spokesmen. Gillette, meanwhile, is introducing its new body spray, Tag, this month with a suggested retail price slightly higher than Axe...
...Axe continues to push its message of sexual promise. The company engages potential customers with Internet games featuring babes in bikinis and events showcasing Axe Angels--models who travel the country spraying guys' chests. And then there are the Axe Ambassadors like Vladi. "This is the best job I've ever had," he says. "There's a lot of room for creativity, and the people I work with understand me." Just keep an eye out for that little black thong...