Playboy's late-life identity crisis

Poor old Playboy doesn't know what to be in the 21st Century.

Founded as somewhat of a countercultural icon for affluent and educated men almost 60 years ago, it played an important (if one-sided) part in the Sexual Revolution and spoke out against McCarthyism. In the '60s, it matured into a brand for the wannabe martini set. But by the '70s, hardcore pornography took away its more horny audiences as it maintained its relevance through top-notch interviews and celebrity pictorials. In the '80s, it was all about video.

Now, here we are in the digital age. Pictures of naked women are abundant and free. So is interesting and subversive content. So what's left for Playboy?

I think their biggest problem is that sex, culture and politics are no longer a man's exclusive domain. Playboy will never be able to shake its basically sexist brand character, and who wants to be associated with that?

The douchebag market, that's who. Young men who read Maxim and wear Axe.

To compete with Maxim, Playboy launched The Smoking Jacket, an online ladmag that covers culture, entertainment and boobies with a less overtly-pornographic, teasing style. Fellow adblogger Steve Hall, from Adrants, is one of the contributors. (He pens a "sexy ads of the week" column.)

And Axe?

Check out this Playboy shower gel ad by DDB Paris:



Yeah, it's a shitty ad. It's also extremely creepy. Can you imagine how a young woman would feel if a strange man, alone with her in the elevator, hit the emergency button? She'd be expecting the worst.

I don't really know if Playboy has a future as a serious brand. It could be that, in a few years, it will only survive as a logo worn ironically (or desperately) by attention-seeking young women.

What do you think?

The complete Axe guide to horrible female stereotypes

Earlier this week, I shared the lameness that was Axe's "trick the smart girl into boning you" ad.

What bad body wash and low self esteem will get you.

Today, Adrants shared the rest of the series of Axe ads based on female stereotypes:









Notice something strange about the series as a whole? While the "Brainy Girl" ad was about the douchey Axeman manipulating his date into thinking he cared about her cultural interests, it seems the theme of the ads was supposed to be about long-suffering boyfriends who will do anything for sex.

To recap:

Sporty Girls are turned on by violently competitive jerks.
Flirty Girls dig threesomes with meek men.
High Maintenance Girls want a total doormat.
Party Girls want guys who do lots of really hard stimulant drugs.

And apparently, Brainy Girls like great big frauds.

What's strange is that the "Brainy Girl" is the only one who isn't a completely inconsiderate bitch. Why does she deserve an Axe douche for a boyfriend?

'Tis one of the great mysteries of advertising.

Axe believes that even "brainy" women are this dumb

Look! She has glasses! She must be one a them intullekshul chicks!

Axe plays to the cheap seats with this story about a dumbass who tricks a thespian into being impressed by his commitment to the theatre. Presumably, she will jump his bones immediately upon exiting the venue so that he doesn't get the chance to blow it by actually attempting to talk about what happened on stage.



Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that this joke about tricking women into bed is an old and established trope. And Axe is not exactly a progressive brand. But this stupid ad insults every woman — and most of the men— I know.

At least put some effort into your sexism, Axe.

Via Adrants

F'd Ad Fridays: Axe goes equal opportunity horndog

It's a refreshing change, actually. To promote its new line of fragrance that comes in both male and female versions, Axe has dropped the scantily-clad angels and bikini models to focus a little more on chemistry. Completely fucked-up chemistry, but at least it's less one-sided.

In both the print and TV executions, couples become instantly infatuated with each other's odour, ignoring all danger and common sense. And as these sex zombies move towards the oblivion of locking genitals (the spell only seems to work on straight people) they basically cause armageddon (and clown holocaust).



All that over a body spray.

Via Ads of The World

Move over Axe, women prefer the smell of liquor

Poland's Zubrowka Vodka would like you to know that the scent women really go crazy for is liquor:



In this pretty hamfisted Axe parody, they somehow smell the vodka over the dude's bad body spray chemical warfare. Which is amazing, because I thought the whole point of drinking vodka was that it was the "no-tell liquor".

Must be the grass.

Moral of the story: liquor is quicker?

Via Illegal Advertising