• USA Today, Tuesday, April 17, 2007 11:15 AM

"Bom Chicka Wah Wah"--a pop culture phrase that supposedly mimics a guitar sound from 1970s adult movies and is slang for a sexual encounter--is the operative phrase in new ads for Unilever's Axe deodorant.

Since its 2002 launch, Axe's theme has been "giving guys an edge in the mating game," says David Rubin, Axe's brand development director. New TV ads show women who suggestively blurt "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" to men wearing the spray. The brand's eight body sprays are also getting new packaging and an enhanced fragrance. Body sprays are key in the young male market because they are used as a "training fragrance" by teens and even tweens, says Mintel senior analyst Kat Fay. If a guy likes a spray, he's more likely to pick up other grooming products from the same brand.

While ACNielsen data show Axe continues to outsell rival body sprays, the competition is fierce. Procter & Gamble now has Tag and Old Spice Red Zone body sprays. In February, Dial launched RGX Bodyspray from Right Guard.

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