Axe Lanches Branded Game for iPhone and Other Platforms
Pogo Xtreme game was developed by mobile ad network Greystripe.
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but men’s grooming company Axe hopes it may actually be through his armpits or iPhone instead with a new branded game.
Pogo Xtreme, a full-length, multi-level iPhone game, was developed by Greystripe, the rich media mobile advertising network, and launched on Tuesday. It is available for free download and features what Greystripe CEO Michael Chang describes as “an extreme sports enthusiast on a pogo stick” that enables users to showcase moves like backflips, tailwhips and 360’s.
One of the marquis moves, however, is the Axe Deodorant Bodyspray Double Pits to Chesty — a move that involves a spray under the arms and across the chest. And, as Pogo Xtreme is a game targeting men 16 to 24, Chang says it also features affirmations in between each level of play. That includes “things like women saying that your armpits smell good or that you did good Double Pits to Chesty moves,” Chang said.
This is Greystripe’s second campaign with Axe after the Dirty Night Determinator that launched in February. The previous campaign was created to support the Axe Detailer Shower Tool. In it, consumers use what Chang describes as a “man loofa” and interact with an ad to calculate how dirty their night will get.
According to Greystripe, the Dirty Night Determinator campaign resulted in brand lift and increased intention to buy metrics. A comScore study of the campaign found intent to purchase the shower tool experienced a 25 percent lift and that 56 percent of respondents who interacted with the ad said they intended to purchase the product.
Chang said Axe was happy with this media buy and that is why it has chosen to do this much larger campaign now.
The new game is also launching on the Web and with Playstation 3. Players also have the option of posting their scores on Facebook.
“Gaming is the perfect medium to reach our guy,” said Jay Mathew, U.S. marketing director of deodorant at Axe, in a prepared statement. “It helps us stay relevant and appealing to our target.”
Indeed, Claudia Cahill, EVP of corporate development at Levity Entertainment Group, which creates multiplatform campaigns for brands like Pepsi, Nestle and even Axe, said ideal branding situations are all about going where consumers spend time — whether that’s gaming, watching videos or using social networking platforms.
And as mobile gaming tends to skew more male and to younger audiences, Cahill also says brands that appeal to the 18-to-24-year-old consumer are definitely worth considering for a branded mobile game campaign. That includes products like confections, snack foods and soft drinks.
