What would you do for a pair of World Cup tickets? Put on a ridiculous outfit and ask someone out on a date, the marketing team at Axe is hoping.<\/p>\n
The men\u2019s grooming brand, owned by FIFA sponsor Unilever, is activating against the tournament with a campaign encouraging soccer fans to don their wildest World Cup-themed outfits and record a video of themselves asking someone out, Dolores Assalini, head of Axe US, shared exclusively with Marketing Brew. As part of the sweepstakes, Axe is giving away 82 tickets total, including two suite tickets to the quarterfinal in Miami.<\/p>\n
Sounds crazy? Getting sports fans to go all-out on their outfits is hardly extreme, Assalini said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that guys do this for all sporting events, especially the World Cup,\u201d she told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe know that they don\u2019t always look their best when they\u2019re doing that, but we as Axe can make sure that they\u2019re smelling their best when they\u2019re looking their craziest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soccer isn\u2019t exactly a typical lane for Axe to play in, Assalini said, but given the massive cultural relevance of the World Cup this year, the tournament is all but essential for a brand that\u2019s long sought to connect with young men.<\/p>\n
Whiff it<\/h2>\n
Getting fans to think outside of the box when it comes to their wardrobe is one thing; getting them to ask someone out on a date\u2014on video, no less\u2014while dressed to the extremes is another. Speaking of extremes, though, attending a World Cup game isn\u2019t exactly cheap (tickets to the final are going for about $11,000)\u2014and the \u201cinsanely expensive\u201d price tag has Assalini thinking the stakes of the contest seem pretty reasonable, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re not asking them to dress up in a tuxedo or a suit to ask a girl out,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re asking them to\u2026do what you do best, be yourself, be authentic, be the fan that you are, add a little bit of Axe, and that\u2019s going to help you build that connection with girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contest is open on TikTok starting today through May 31, according to Axe. To enter, fans must show or mention Axe, tag the brand, and include specific hashtags in their posts. In addition to the World Cup tickets, Axe is also offering winners $2,000 gift cards for travel and lodging.<\/p>\n
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To help spread the word and boost involvement in the contest, Axe tapped The Pointer Brothers, content creators who often post about sports, including soccer. They\u2019re featured in a promotional video for the campaign that\u2019s running on social and digital platforms, primarily TikTok, Assalini said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re the perfect combination for our brand because they touch on everything that we\u2019re about: fragrance, humor, attraction, and now this cultural moment of the World Cup,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n