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Axe Losing Mojo To Old Spice, Right Guard

AXE-

Old Spice and Right Guard are hitting the best consumer perception numbers of the year for their target audience while Axe is spiraling downward, according to YouGov BrandIndex, a daily consumer perception research service.

"With Old Spice and Right Guard making gains in consumer perception, there is real risk to Axe," Ted Marzilli, YouGov BrandIndex's SVP and managing director, tells Marketing Daily. "If these trends continue, eventually it will translate into gained sales for Old Spice and Right Guard and lost sales for Axe."

YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback. Old Spice, Right Guard and Axe were measured with YouGov BrandIndex's Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"

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Men ages 18-34 apparently are digging the "Hunk Off" video face-off between Isaiah Mustafa and Fabio staged last week by the body wash brand Old Spice. The promotion garnered 22 million views on YouTube and sent the Procter & Gamble deodorant and body wash brand soaring to a 50.1 buzz score, twice the score of its nearest rival, Right Guard.

Not to be outdone, Right Guard has been on a tear of its own these past two weeks, courtesy of its NBA tie-in as their official deodorant. In the aftermath of its "Love In The Shower" TV spots and Facebook promotions starring "Best Smelling Player" Kevin Love touting the Total Defense 5 body wash line, Right Guard's buzz score has taken off from indifference in mid-July to an impressive 25 the first week of August.

Lagging behind the others is Unilever's Axe, which has been losing its mojo with young men since December, according to YouGov. Axe slipped into negative perception territory during the middle of July, now down to -11 from 4.3 earlier in the month.

P&G put about twice the advertising spend behind Old Spice last year compared to what Unilever invested in Axe, Marzilli adds. "Waiting it out doesn't seem like a good option [for Axe]," he says. "The brand needs to improve its perception among young men. That doesn't mean it needs to double its ad spending, but some different thinking/ approaches and maybe some additional investment are in order."

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