Axe denies hiding ‘suck my balls’ lyrics in You Gold ads – did it though?
Unilever-owned Axe has put out an ad denying that its ‘You Gold’ films feature a song with the lyrics ‘suck my balls’.
A handful of ads (1,2,3,) promoting Axe Gold body spray feature the track Pure Gold (Dumb Bunny & Joseph Remix). The song appears to include explicit lyrics – and they have managed to sneak past censors.
Responding to debate in the comments section of YouTube, Axe and its ad firm 72andSunny Amsterdam reached out to the producer of the track who worked on the ad, Diederik van Middelkoop, for clarification on the issue.
Middelkoop in a tongue-in-cheek manner assured viewers that the ad does not feature the lyrics ‘suck my balls’, ‘fluff my balls’, ‘toss my balls’, ‘snuff my balls’, ‘hug my ball’s or even ‘balls my balls’.
Despite wading in to clear matters up, Middelkoop failed to outline what the lyrics do say. No amount of Google Searches have cleared up this debacle. It may be that the main takeaway for marketers is that it is advisable to hide uncouth Easter Eggs in their creative for greater retention.
The original campaign looked to target young men to underline the confidence smelling good should add to their lifestyle. The shorts made reference to internet culture, entertainment and sports.
They came out in January mixing internet memes, entertainment, sports and gaming references on Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook supported with digital out-of-home where the racy lyrics would not be conveyed.