When most brands spend millions trying to “understand” Gen Z, Axe found success by doing something simpler: listening and acting fast. The men’s grooming brand, owned by Unilever, recently pulled off one of the most talked-about marketing stunts of the year by letting TikTok’s favorite “bad designer,” Emily Zugay, redesign their product. And the result? A viral hit that turned humor into hard engagement.

It all started when Zugay, known for her intentionally terrible logo redesigns and dry humor, posted a parody “rebrand” of Axe on TikTok. Her version featured a plain white can and a cheesy clip-art axe, paired with the caption: “Axe wasn’t made for boys in middle school locker rooms. It was made for men.” The post exploded with over 5 million views, 500,000 likes, and thousands of comments later, fans were begging Axe to make it real.

Most brands would have stopped at a repost or polite thank you. Axe didn’t. Within 24 hours, they created a real version of Zugay’s joke and shared it online. The internet went wild again. So Axe took it a step further and launched a limited-edition “Zugay can” exclusively through Walmart. What started as a meme became a marketing moment.

Co-Creation Over Control

According to Axe’s U.S. Head of Marketing, Dolores Assalini, the brand’s approach was simple: listen and build together. “The reaction from our fans was really loud and clear,” she said. “They wanted the new logo, and we listened.” But the listening didn’t stop at acknowledgment. Axe made Zugay the “Big Boss,” built a content series around her, and invited their audience to shape the story.

This wasn’t traditional influencer marketing. It was brand co-creation. Instead of controlling the message, Axe let their audience write it. And for a generation that values authenticity and collaboration over polish, that made all the difference.

Unilever’s Shift to Social-First Storytelling

Axe’s move fits neatly into Unilever’s broader pivot toward social-first marketing. Earlier this year, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez announced that half of the company’s ad spend would now go to social media, with influencer partnerships expanding twentyfold. In other words, the future of advertising isn’t on billboards. It’s in comment sections and creator collaborations.

For Axe, the Zugay partnership has evolved into an ongoing series filled with skits, fan responses, and inside jokes. “We’re creating a whole story and entertainment cycle around it,” Assalini explained. “In every post that we do, we’re getting engagement from our community.”

The Real Lesson for Marketers

Axe’s viral success didn’t come from a six-month strategy plan or expensive data reports. It came down to three key principles:

• Agility: Acting within 24 hours of a viral trend.

• Humor: Embracing the joke instead of defending the brand.

• Trust: Allowing the audience to take creative control.

In a digital world where every brand claims to be “authentic,” Axe proved that real authenticity comes from collaboration. The most successful marketing moments now happen when brands stop broadcasting and start building with their audience.

The takeaway: Stop trying to control the narrative. Hand the mic to your fans. Because the next big brand story won’t be written in a boardroom. It will be written in the comment section, one meme at a time.