• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 7, 2007

Dial/Henkel is marketing a new scented body spray for young men--in direct competition with Axe. In order to carve out a new market based on psychographic qualities, the company has one weapon: advertising.

Specifically, Dial/Henkel is positioning its new Right Guard RGX Bodyspray as a product designed for more "mature, self-confident" young men who are turned off by the strong odor of other body sprays.

The advertising will communicate RGX's desire to avoid the hormonal, overtly sexual messages typical of Axe and its current competitors. Stephen Koven, brand manager at Dial, believes "a prime customer for body sprays has been ignored. He is a regular guy--old enough to be independent and spend his own money and confident enough not to want to overpower women with his fragrance. We are counter-marketing against products that claim women will attack you when they get a whiff of you."

The ad campaign for RGX includes a branded Web magazine with content categories like gaming, video, fitness, sports and style. The Web site was designed by Zukor Entertainment and Zooka Creative. The company is also rolling out an ad campaign in men's magazines--favoring middlebrow fashion and lifestyle titles over lowbrow mags focused on scantily clad women. Cable, network TV and radio buys are in the mix, too.

To drive its ad message home, the packaging will be revamped--futuristic brushed aluminum, giving a whiff of technology and professional competence, as opposed to the slightly naughty black plastic of Axe, which suggests late-night liaisons. RGX Bodyspray's scent is also relatively subdued, in four light varieties akin to popular colognes. The appeal to maturity is also conveyed in the product's tagline: "Are you ready to step up?"

Despite these differences, RGX Bodyspray and Axe share the same focus: making men more appealing to women. "Regular guys believe maturity and confidence can be better aphrodisiacs," says Koven. "It's simply a matter of emphasis."