Unilever?s Axe may have built an enviable reputation as a mobile media master, but the male grooming products brand is guilty of failing to fully optimize its Web sites for mobile, impairing its punch amid an emerging markets push, according to Mobile Marketer?s analysis.

Axe, which displays a muscular mobile presence in everything from sweepstakes to interactive voice to loyalty clubs to social media, stumbles in neglecting to ensure some of its key Web pages and engagement content items are easy to find, work properly or are even present on mobile. Improving the mobile Web experience is important for the brand, often criticized for sexist and negative imagery, to realize its biggest opportunity ? leveraging mobile to expand a socially conscious branding overlay in emerging markets.

?The Axe Web site axe.us and theaxeeffect.com are full-feature Web sites when viewed on desktop, including images and videos on how to use the Axe products,? said Thom Jordan, CEO of Ping Mobile. ?However, when viewed on [Android and iPhone] mobile devices, the site layouts are mobile optimized in general but many key pages and engagement content items are missing, hard to find, or simply don?t work. 

?For all the masterful ways Axe and Unilever have created unified multichannel campaigns with seamless mobile integration, this is a fumble with a 10-yard penalty,? he said.

Axe did not respond to media inquiries by press deadline.

Axe has forged a success on mobile by engaging consumers in original and innovative ways, benefiting from parent Unilever hitting its mobile marketing stride in 2011.

One of the company?s big plays was integrating Axe one-click commerce functionality within Comedy Central?s mobile application. 

?This made it simple for their users ? who are described as heavily social males ? to engage and learn more about their products and share the message,? said Melissa Greenberg, general manager of Fetch?s New York office. ?The Comedy Central app is a big community and [its members enjoy] engaging with short videos.

?Axe will receive more engagement from their ideal target audience,? she said.

Axe?s eschewing of a one-size-fits-all approach in favor of localized marketing strategies also has repaid it in consumer engagement. In 2011, the brand, known as Lynx in some countries, issued a print ad with some missing text that required users to text ?axe? to a number to receive the rest of the content. 

 

Globally, Axe separates itself from the pack in leveraging mobile to engage with its target demographic, both high-tech and low-tech.  

One of the brand?s most successful low-tech mobile plays has been Axe India?s Call Me campaign.  

Axe India wanted to raise brand awareness among young males, expand into rural areas of the country and use mobile to engage in brand interaction. Since many young males in India have cell phones with little or no data capability, Axe launched a voice campaign. ?Tanya? was created to ask flirty questions for a chance to win prizes.  

An easy-to-remember national call-in number was used and promoted via multiple channels such as TV, print, billboard, PR and product stickers. The campaign resulted in 4.4 million calls with more than 40 percent repeat callers, the highest voice data response generated by any brand in India and Asia. It also spurred more than 30,000 Axe ringtone downloads.  

The campaign helped drive Axe revenue 10 percent above category average and increases of five and two percent respectively in measured brand appeal and purchase consideration.

Axe?s most successful high-tech mobile play may well be the multichannel campaign to launch a new body spray, Axe Dark Temptation.  

As part of a text-to-win sweepstakes, multiple keyword calls to action were strategically placed in movie preview and cable commercials for a chance at prizes, including $25,000 cash, laptops and trips to Las Vegas and the option to opt in for more offers.  

The campaign generated more than 30,000 text entries in the first few months and became one of the most successful antiperspirant launches, generating $71 million in sales for Unilever.  

 Axe?s lack of a fully mobilized Web experience demands immediate attention.

?Finding and watching videos under the Grooming Tips section on desktop or most tablets is easy and fun,? Mr. Jordan said. ?Try finding or watching one of the same videos on the same Web site on an Android or IOS mobile phone. The content either doesn?t exist or doesn?t work,? he said.  

?Surfing around Unilever.com and its linked brand sites on mobile is a clunky and frustrating experience for the consumer as well as missed opportunity for Unilever to engage with them in a positive way.?

In the years ahead, Axe?s biggest opportunity will be leveraging mobile to expand a socially conscious branding overlay both geographically and demographically in the emerging markets.

Sixty percent of Unilever?s sales currently come from emerging markets. Company-wide revenue in those markets rose 5.7 percent last year, compared with a 1 percent decrease in developed countries.  

To reach emerging markets consumers who tend to be more aware and critical of corporate social responsibility, Unilever began including message of world peace in Axe branding, starting with the 2014 Super Bowl campaign.

?The key to Axe?s success is its flexibility and localization,? Ms. Greenberg said. ?Recently they have engaged a younger mobile audience to send selfies to generate content which can be repurposed by the brand, and move away from its sexy approach it has held so long. 

?By being flexible with their brand, they are constantly adapting to the differing needs of their audience and different generations,? she said.