These Are the Times - Axe | Clapboard Ad Archive

Axe’s 2019 campaign These Are the Times, developed by 72andSunny in the Netherlands, exemplifies the modern collision between personal care marketing and global music culture by leveraging the formidable celebrity equity of Martin Garrix at the heart of an integrated brand platform. Sitting squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy defines as FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities, the campaign deploys Garrix not merely as an ambassador but as the pulse around which Axe’s aspirational identity orbits, tapping into his international credibility and fanbase to infuse the Axe Music initiative with a palpable sense of authenticity and current energy. Anchored by the official music video for Garrix’s single These Are the Times featuring JRM, the work blurs boundaries between health, music, and youth culture, positioning Axe as a lifestyle conduit that goes beyond grooming to offer emotional proximity and shared experience through music that is both communal and intimate. The partnership with Sony Music amplifies this reach, ensuring that the campaign is more than a media buy or spokesperson deal; it is a curated intersection of content, artist, and brand values carefully engineered to make Axe relevant in a crowded marketplace where cultural credibility cannot be faked. The campaign’s creative decision to abstain from conventional problem/solution dramatization or overt product demo and to instead immerse viewers in a world of euphoric connection—broadcast via Garrix’s persona and the universal language of music—signals a clear insight into the priorities of a Gen Z and young millennial audience that values meaningful association over transactional messaging. In a stroke of strategic clarity, Axe and 72andSunny encourage audience participation far beyond passive viewing, layering digital calls to action, cross-platform social engagement, and exclusive content, thereby reinforcing the campaign’s message of music as a bridge that moves people closer—socially, emotionally, and even romantically. The result is a campaign asset that has drawn over 17 million views, demonstrating the effectiveness of celebrity-driven cross-industry partnerships in capturing and sustaining the attention of a hyper-saturated audience. Clapboard rates this 79/100. This campaign matters because it illustrates the increasing value of authentic celebrity integration and music-led storytelling as the connective tissue for lifestyle brands aiming to tap into the deeper currents of aspirational youth culture.