Axe. Hair. It's What Girls See First

Axe is back at it again with a new controversial tv ad focused on its hair care products.

The ad tells a story of a budding office romance by showing a man represented by a cartoon of a man's hair and a women represented by a cartoon of a women's chest to play up the importance of the fact that hair is the first thing women notice in a man, just as the stereotype would be a woman's chest is the first thing the man notices.  Take a look...

I admit that I'm not the target for this ad as it is clearly focused Axe's prime prospect of teenaged boys.   Nevertheless, I do not think the ad is highly effective for a few reasons.  First, while it catches a viewers attention with its unique imagery of a women's chest, it's confusing and the viewer has to figure out what's going on and why.  Second, the ad is very weak in terms of branding and doesn't sell me on why Axe is uniquely positioned to help win the girl.