It seems as though we have come to the end of the road on our meme-marketing series.
We learned, we laughed and we avoided getting Rickrolled along the way.
I would like to close out this series by taking a look at one of the most popular meme-marketing campaigns of the year: AXE’s “Fear No Susan Glenn” campaign. AXE is a line of men’s personal-care products that includes shower gels, deodorant body sprays, shampoos, and hair gel.
The brand’s previous campaigns have operated on the premise that their products could turn any man, even a caveman, from a “zero to a hero.” This tactic, known as the “AXE Effect,” helped AXE’s mother company Unilever earn $71 million in sales in 2006.
Done with the alpha male clichés of their past, AXE’s “Fear No Susan Glenn” campaign shows us the vulnerable side of manhood. In this case, vulnerability comes at the sight of “Susan Glenn” who according to Kiefer Sutherland is the embodiment of every desirable quality he ever wanted in a woman.
[Image: Reuben Querimit]
The Online Slang Dictionary defines “Susan Glenn” as “the girl, the one that got away.” AXE’s “Fear No Susan Glenn” website adds that, “A Susan Glenn wields her genetic gifts like weapons.”
When it comes to meme-marketing this campaign has hit all of the bases.
Let’s go back to my last post where I shared the elements needed for an effective meme-marketing campaign.
Here again are the items I listed:
An idea that is:
- Creative
- Humorous and/or witty
- Memorable
- Easy to mutate or remix
- Relatable
- Stimulating visuals
It also needs:
- Good timing
- Mediums optimized for social sharing
- Dash of luck: Let’s be honest. There’s no absolute guarantee that your campaign will become a “true” meme.
- Optional: Snark.
Now it’s time to see how AXE’s “Fear No Susan Glenn” campaign holds up.
At the core of this campaign is its relatability. The premise of the campaign is that every man has a “Susan Glenn,” the perfect girl that got away.
Susan Glenn is the woman every man wants to be with and the woman every other woman wonders if she has been. The idea of a Susan Glenn has perpetuated itself in popular culture before.
[Image: Axe Susan Glenn Commercial]
Who could forget Winnie Cooper from “The Wonder Years” or Kelly Kapowski from “Saved by the Bell?”
With “Susan Glenn,” AXE has created a name for a fantasy that doesn’t just live in the mind of one man, but instead is connected to the lives of all men. Susan Glenn transcends age, ethnicity, space and time because she is not just a person; she is a social construct. Pretty deep for an advertisement, right?
Its relatability is what makes this campaign so memorable. AXE inspires men to reminisce on their own “Susan Glenn” in the form of Twitter hashtags, Facebook declarations and blog posts.
The concept is certainly creative: Take something that all men can relate to and change the context in which it is discussed. It takes a conversation that a man may have with himself or close friends and shares it with the world.
Of course these conversations lend themselves to humorous exchanges of memories involving stuttered words, sweaty palms and missed opportunities.
AXE first launched in North American markets in 2003, and has since produced memorable advertisements displaying hyper-masculine taglines and images that straddled the line of maturity.
After nine-years of commercials featuring bikini-clad babes and the dudes who lust after them, AXE has seemed to approach a ‘coming of age’ with its “Fear No Susan Glenn” campaign.
Their timing couldn’t have been better. The popularity of this campaign is a testament that the public supports the brand’s step towards adulthood.
Visually, the concept of “Susan Glenn” captures minds and hearts. After all, she is a woman who “wields her genetics gifts like weapons.”
AXE has capitalized on our society’s love of all things visual by releasing a campaign that purposefully lends itself to the sharing of visually stimulating images.
Remixes of “Susan Glenn” can be found on Tumblr, Youtube, Flickr and just about every other social network. One of my favorites comes courtesy of BuzzFeed.
When it comes to meme-marketing this campaign is the Susan Glenn of all campaigns.
Want more Susan Glenn? Take a look at the most famous Susan Glenn of all time.
[Image: Mostafa Shaalan]
