The Lynx Bullet Twist

Using consumer trends to develop fresh ideas

By Anna Clark

Known for its popularity with teenage boys dousing themselves with it, I find myself surprised to be writing how ‘on trend’ the Lynx (Axe) deodorant brand seems to be. However, a couple of their recent innovations provide a perfect example of using consumer trends in NPD.

Last year they launched the Lynx Bullet – the tagline for which was ‘Pocket Pulling Power’ but which was essentially just a pocket sized deodorant, sold in twin packs. There’s nothing hugely new or different about a travel sized deodorant, but marketing it as something to be routinely carried was new. This innovation is just right for today’s metrosexual man, more interested in personal care, and more likely to carry a ‘man bag’. However, the tongue in cheek Pocket Pulling Power tagline might equally appeal to more laddish types, and being pocket sized it doesn’t require the man bag, for those less ‘reconstructed’.

This has been followed up with their latest launch, the Lynx Twist. This variant is a can of deodorant that contains more than one scent, and by twisting the top, consumers can change the scent delivered. The massive convergence of technology in recent years has got consumers used to carrying more things with them, but also led them to expect products to have more than one function or benefit, so the combination of various scents into one can is the logical translation of this into the deodorant world.