Axe, Tag, Swagger Body Spray Brands Find Market With Tweens

Body spray and body wash brands like Axe, Tag, Swagger, and Magnetic Attraction are hot commodities for young males. The problem is the males are much younger than the brands' target audience – sometimes as young as 10 years old.

"We're clear that the Axe target is 18- to 24-year-old guys, but we recognize that we have older and younger users," says Mike Dwyer, brand development director for Axe. Apparently, boys are becoming more aware of their appearance and body images at a younger age. As girls reach puberty earlier, there's even more of an incentive to smell good to their female peers.

Kit Yarrow, author of the new book Gen Buy, says it's all part of a generational shift. "The 10-year-olds are copying the 14-year-olds, trying to be cool. Everything is moving down the spectrum."

Of course, it doesn't hurt that tween boys watch the same commercials as the older guys – and they're can't help but be influenced when they see personalities like LL Cool J in body spray and body wash ads. The brands also use Facebook and YouTube, offer downloadable apps, and create "advergames." Even tween novels have been known to shamelessly pitch body sprays.

Brand marketers certainly aren't complaining – it broadens the market for their products. In fact, boys age 8 to 19 could soon be a US$ 2 billion market, according to a report by market research firm Packaged Facts.

Ultimately, says The New York Times, this line of products gives tween boys "power over those frightening, provocative creatures, those girls. Small wonder that a boy would love to believe those magic powers promised by a pheromone-infused product are real."