As reader Lorin said when he sent this in, "I feel unsurprised." It's not news to any of us that the people behind Axe's marketing campaigns have no respect for women, not to mention men's intelligence, but I had to post this one because it really takes the cake:
Supposedly this ad, created by a South Korean agency, is up on the side of a college dorm. I'm just hoping those who live there had control over whether it went up and when it was taken down. My hunch is that they didn't, which makes the whole thing even more gross. If anyone finds out what college/university it was that allowed this, please let us know.
Thanks to Lorin for the heads up.
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Is this for real?
I think I just broke my keyboard when my head slammed into it on the way to my desk.
Axe is so unbelievably gross. I think it does a great disservice to males, too...
I don't get it. Seriously, can someone explain this ad. I'm lost as to what it's about.
It's a calendar with each dorm room/woman assigned to a different day, with the implication that when wearing Axe men will be with a different woman every day of the month.
The text at the bottom of the ad says,
"As wrapping the female student's dormitory in the shape of calendar [sic] and using Axe for a month throughout March, we aimed for the expression that a new female can be met on a daily basis, to promote the brand image and preference for Axe."
The text at the bottom isn't part of the actual ad... this reads more like an ad proposal. A larger photo also makes it look photoshopped:
http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images/AXEschedule.jpg
Searching for the agency that supposedly made the ad, Gee Seoul, yields no results (apart from more links to this same ad). So I even have doubts this ever existed in reality (perhaps a proposal by an agency or a student project). But I could be wrong.
Okay, the ad is actually made by When Gee, an agency in Seoul. But still can't find much info on them.
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/axe_calendar
Oh well.
oh I can see that now. I also thought this was a poster encouraging guys to stalk women on certain days.
Thanks for the reply. I was really confused. This is just a ridiculous ad.
I know that this wasn't in the U.S., and I'm not sure how different higher education is in South Korea, but if I were a parent shelling out thousands of dollars so that my daughter could go to school, and she was living in the dorm, I would be incensed that the school was paid money by this company so that she could not only lose her window, but also have her living space insinuated to be the domicile of a generic Hot & Horny Co-Ed Who Would Totally Fuck You, Random College Guy, If You Just Splash a Little Rancid Cologne On.
And the university cashes in on this, and I get to pay for the pleasure of having my daughter treated this way.
Furthermore, College women have enough trouble with stalking and rape as it is. College is frequently where stressed-out students have breaks with reality and women are often the recipients of some bizarre obsession sprung from bizarre interpretations of messages. I wouldn't say this advertisement "encouraging stalking and rape" but it's pretty damn risky to advertise "here, in this room, is a hot woman who's willing to fuck you."
"... would be incensed that the school was paid money by this company so that she could not only lose her window, but also have her living space insinuated to be the domicile of a generic Hot & Horny Co-Ed Who Would Totally Fuck You, Random College Guy, If You Just Splash a Little Rancid Cologne On..."
Right on! Also, thanks for the reminder about losing windows too!
That's fuckin grimy.
Upon further examination, I'm wondering if this is an altered photo. If you look at the photo on it's own (here), it looks pretty fake. Any opinions from Photoshop professionals?
The women in the windows looked suspicious to me. Then when I looked at the larger photo that raspberry posted a link to, I can see they're pasted in there. This ad is not real.
What's most depressing about this to me, as a graphic designer, is how often ads like this are let off the hook because they are supposedly "clever." It can be sexist, racist, homophobic, misogynistic... but if it's witty, it's somehow fine and dandy.
Though it doesn't seem to be the situation here, what also anger me is how often young people (I went to art school so I'm mostly speaking about my experiences there) who are supposedly progressive think it's okay to make sexist/racist/etc remarks because, haha, "It's ironic! Duh!" and they are somehow above it.
You're so right. I'm in high school (for the next 7 days, just saying) and there is a visual communications class offered. My sister took it and the assignment was to create a fake product and sell it via adverts... People thought "Gay Away" was hilarious. Because it rhymes? Fucked if I know.
although to be fair, Axe is definitely marketed toward guys who think "Gay Away" is hilarious.
Don't read the comments in the thread that raspberrying linked above if you have any faith left in humanity that you would like to hold on to.
"Don't read the comments in the thread that raspberrying linked above if you have any faith left in humanity that you would like to hold on to."
I'm in total agreement with you. Really, which women would agree to be in those dorms if this actually happened? I wonder if guys would want that on their dorms for a "women's soap" brand...
Of course they would, because according to our society men are always horny and would totally bang anything, anythime. They also wouldn't care about being "Mr. Day-24" as long as they got some action.
!!!!!
I go to art school too, and I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! I have always been frustrated by this, as only racist, sexist, and anti-republican jokes can slide (well that last one I'll let go...) if they're creative. And only because they're witty, or creative. Because as I think we both know, creativity and edginess reign supreme in art school. No one acknowledges the fact that it's harmful to society REGARDLESS of the way it's packaged.
Your comment just made my day.
What's most depressing about this to me, as a graphic designer, is how often ads like this are let off the hook because they are supposedly "clever." It can be sexist, racist, homophobic, misogynistic... but if it's witty, it's somehow fine and dandy.
Though it doesn't seem to be the situation here, what also angers me is how often young people (I went to art school so I'm mostly speaking about my experiences there) who are supposedly progressive think it's okay to make sexist/racist/etc remarks because, haha, "It's ironic! Duh!" and they are somehow above it.
I'm pretty sure it's a mock-up, and that the women in the windows are comped. In the larger photo, you can tell (http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images/AXEschedule.jpg)--the lighting is wrong, and they just look unnatural in their settings.
I thought it was pretty obvious that the women were not real. Why would all of the women in a dorm be looking outside at one time?
Was this, however, a huge poster put on the side of a building (not leaving cut-outs for real windows)? I think its unlikely, considering internet results yield nothing. Surely the women who lived in the dorm rooms whose windows were obscured would cause stink. We should be able to find that news story somewhere. But it isn't anywhere, which makes me think this whole thing is just a student project or something.
Um, relax and take a deep breath. It's not real. And rather obviously so. The women are rather poorly comped into the "windows."
well I never actually thought the ad was up on a college dorm, it was just part of the ad. The ad is really gross though.
Hey, how about I pitch an ad to a company in which I suggest that your sister or your mother or your daughter or your girlfriend or any other woman in your life that you happen to have a relationship with can be "easy pickings" for any slimeball who wants to score a different chick every night? Relax, it's not real! It's just that she totally deserves it, all right? Kidding? But seriously, she's a whore.
j/k. ;)
Ah, we've entered in the "yo mama" phase, have we?
I really have nothing to add to such a magnificently unhinged response except to say that my mother, sister and SO are all grown women who can make whatever sexual decisions they please, be it with a "slimeball who wants to score a different chick every night" or not.
No, you either live in a world where it's perfectly acceptable to pitch an idea that assumes that all women are sexually available to men with or without their consent (by implying that their dormroom is just another box on the calendar), or you live in the world where you respect women and don't commodify them like that. It's just that simple.
I hate Axe, it must be embarrassing to be considered their target demographic. Someone who is so retarded they don't know that if you shower regularly, wow, could that possibly attract a mate?
I get a lot of temp. job invites from them to be an "Axe Angel" but I never apply. Their job ads are really tacky - they want women who are "flirtatious and sexy" to go into grocery stores, wal mart, etc and flirt with guys and spray them with body spray. Plenty of companies want to hire attractive young women to promote their products but most companies are respectful about their requests - the wording is "attractive, professional, friendly, energetic" - basically someone that you could feel comfortable approaching even though they are a stranger. But being hired to flirt with guys in grocery stores, no thanks, I don't care if you pay $20/hr.
"I wonder if guys would want that on their dorms for a "women's soap" brand..."
The sad thing is that it doesn't matter. If they didn't want to be ridiculed for being gay or not real men, they would at least have to pretend to like it. After All, "real" me want to be constantly wanted by women. Plus the very concept wouldn't work b/c as messed up as it is, men are entire human beings and not sex objects. Plus that kind of add would have to be based on the assumption that women would want a lot of sex. Why... the only reasons women can lust are b/c of chocolate, cheap cologne and occasionally a good suit (grrr, especially at the last one b/c it is conveyed women in commercials turned on by a guy's outfit are attracted to the confident and powerful persona the clothes supposedly give him). With that said, I'm torn:
- Part of me is thinking (given that this wasn't actually on the side of a dorm) that this ad is downright classy by axe standards
- The other part thinks it's worse b/c it makes the women passive creatures just awaiting a male to come and have them (as opposed to bikini clad and overcome by lust to the point they cannot control themselves. I'm also confused as to why if there was only one man left on earth all women would wear bikinis. You'd think there would be at least one or two who preferred cotton sweats and a t-shirt).
Yes! It often comes back to this great observation by Figleaf about the paradigms of sexual desire:
http://www.realadultsex.com/archives/2009/01/shorter_nosex_class_paradigm.html
This is appalling. And it's unbelievable that Axe is owned by the same company (Unilever) that owns Dove - famous for their portrayal and "support" of real beauty.
This is most definitely fake. I live in Korea and have not seen or heard anything about this. Korea is pretty conservative country so I can't imagine a university letting something like this fly.