Watch the commercial and have a laugh...then read the Analysis below and learn more than you can ever imagine!
Post by Varun Suri.
Axe Detailer-Cleans Your Balls
“No one wants to play with dirty equipment, that’s why you have to keep your balls clean.” How does one react to hearing this line while their favorite television show goes on a commercial break? Advertisements persuade people to do or not to do something, they use rhetorical strategies like ethos, pathos and logos and try to get us to buy their company’s product. Furthermore, out of all the different forms of advertisement, television advertising is considered the most effective advertising mode and format by Americans. By adverting on television, it is easier to set the mood and tone of the advertisement. A prime example of this is the advertisement for Axe Shower Gel Detailer. The Axe Shower Gel Detailer commercial used both traditional and innovative rhetorical techniques to persuade people to buy the Detailer and the Shower Gel; the humor, the explicit way the music and language matched, the infomercial approach, the shape of the product and famous people involved, made a profound impact on people when deciding whether to buy or not buy the product made by Axe.
Jamie Pressly wants to wash balls--old balls, fuzzy balls, and even some dude's big ball sack. Pressly ads humor to the commercial by using the word, “balls,” repeatedly. Any modern day human has a dirty mind as they think about a male’s private part. One cannot blame them since every human is a sexual being. However, by implying humor the balls are actually playing equipment balls. All the women in the ad get excited when the big balls are brought out to play, as the owners of the small balls are ashamed. Although one might not think so while watching the ad, but humor could be the reason you would buy the Axe detailer while shopping. As many people know, humor is contagious and many times viral. After watching the Axe commercial, one might tell their friends to watch it because its comical and they might tell others. After this continues to happen, the commercial has off course gone “viral.” Another reason why one might purchase the Detailer is because the commercial was memorable. For example, as walking though the isles of Wal-Mart on the Wednesday afternoon you could come across the Axe Detailer, trying hard not to laugh you might buy it for yourself or a loved one as some sort of joke or just because the commercial for the product created a whole new meaning of “balls” in our society. Having flashbacks to commercial as buying it, one might just start laughing while in line to pay, all because the commercial was memorable.
As the commercial progresses the language and the music go hand in hand and guide us throughout the commercial. As an American, we all are more prone to buying a product from a seller that is classy and has a British accent verses a person with an accent that we cannot understand. In general, people favor British people over a lot of other races and accents. Many people find humor in British accents as well; therefore, the accents can also be used as a comical element. Secondly, the music emphasized the accents by changing the tunes (background music) very time something was said. For example, as soon as the elder man with the “old balls” came out to get his “balls” cleaned, the music changed to a depressing tune, adding to our emotions. As soon the “old balls” were cleaned and said to look new, the music was changed to a happy tune. Thinking about this or not, we are prone to go and buy the Axe Detailer because it was proved to us that it could clean any “balls,” old, small, big, dirty or filthy “balls.” All of this adds to the comical theme of the commercial, it gives us a feeling that we would not get without the music and the language together.
The infomercial approach, enhances our experience as we watch the commercial. For example, the length of the commercial is longer because of the fact that it takes a infomercial approach. This helps us stay glued to the television until it is over. Infomercial themselves are funny and therefore become viral. For example, the Ab-Rocket and the Shake-Weight are some infomercials that most people can still recall to this day. Even though, different versions of the same joke were brought up many times in the Axe commercial, which is what made is so funny and memorable. For example, many different sizes and shapes of “balls” were cleaned. Furthermore, at the end of the commercial it said that if one calls, it is possible they could get a free sample of the Axe Detailer (while supplies last). Free stuff makes the public go “crazy” and it helps sell the product to others that did not receive the free sample.
The shape of the product is made in such a way that it looks highly designed and unique, compared to other bath sponges out in the industry. “One side is for scrubbing and the other side is for lather“, as the commercial said . They both are connected with a plastic slide that makes it look and feel very sturdy. The plastic adds to the weight of the product making it sturdy. As one might know, we are prone to buy heavier things because we think its sturdy. Compared to other bath sponges, this one would look more efficient and sturdy because of the shape and weight. Therefore, while we compare to other products from a similar industry, the Axe Detailer will stand out, even if it a few more dollars than the others. Furthermore, if one thinks about this, the Detailer is just a sponge. Usually, sponges are for women and men don’t use bath sponges. By adding plastic in the middle of the Detailer and making two unique sides, the company has made the product masculine. The new generation has a new kind of man. Every man has a feminine aspect, by making it masculine men can keep the feminine side and still be himself. Just as the Axe Detailer is a feminine product made masculine, many other products can do that as well. For example, face washes, chap sticks and shampoos.
Lastly, the famous people in the commercial also affect our decisions making skills. For example, an ex-tennis player-Jamie Pressly, Louise Griffiths, and Trevor Lissauer all endorsed the product. This impacts our decision because we as humans are more prone to buy things that are endorsed by a famous person. The famous people also create an atmosphere that makes us more accepting and friendly since we know or have heard have the people who are endorsing the product. While at the store, if you glance at the Axe Detailer you might buy it because the celebrity impacted you subconsciously.
The Axe Shower Gel Detailer commercial used both traditional and innovative rhetorical techniques to persuade people to buy the Detailer and the Shower Gel; the humor, the explicit way the music and language matched, the infomercial approach, the shape of the product and famous people involved, made a profound impact on people when deciding whether to buy or not buy the product’s made by Axe. At the end of the day, all these things came together to make a commercial interesting and fun to watch. Many new things were introduced and there is so much more to a commercial than people think. All these techniques came together to sell a sponge, making it masculine was a great way to get wives to buy it for their husbands. By telling people indirectly about the new man of a new generation, the makers of the commercial invited new consumers. Are you going to let them make you make the wrong decision? Be wise and look at every aspect of a product before you let the rhetorical techniques used in a commercial make the decision for you.
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