Old Spice has broken further away from key competitors in the men’s deodorant category in recent weeks, according to YouGov BrandIndex, the only daily consumer perception research service of brands.
Unilever's AXE burst out of nowhere in the U.S. several years ago and established itself as a formidable competitor in the men’s market for years with its Maxim-like dose of sexy women, strange irreverent ads and double entendres (“cleaning dirty equipment”). However the AXE men’s products’ long-time edgy marketing campaigns have lost steam with men 18 – 49.
Most recently, Old Spice has made significant gains in Buzz scores among men 18 – 49 with its award winning, in-your-face, ever-morphing ads featuring Isaiah Mustafa. The latest Old Spice ads also developed by Wieden + Kennedy introduce the new character Danger Zone Man to tout the brand's Danger Zone deodorant.
AXE continues to make efforts to regain ground, such as releasing a mobile app that records and shares the user’s big night out, but it hasn’t been enough to break Old Spice’s momentum. Henkel’s Right Guard has not been able to lift itself from a mildly positive perception range with men, as it continues its traditional close alignment with athletes and sports, even going as far as giving away an award for the NBA’s “Best Smelling Player.”
Old Spice, AXE and Right Guard were measured using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, was it positive or negative?"
