Lynx | 24-7 – Because you never know when | 2017
You Never Know When It's Going to Happen / Lynx "24-7 – Because you never know when"
It's not just rewind. A man walks back the way he came, putting his clothes back on as he goes. Somewhere in the middle, it clicks — "oh, I see" — and your brain gets a little chill. There are plenty of ways to show love at first sight, but the ones that give you that lightbulb moment hit hardest.
The problem
Since the 1990s, ads for Lynx (the name Axe goes by in the UK) have found all sorts of ways to show off the "Lynx Effect" — the idea that the product gives men the power to attract women. The message of the 24-7 campaign was: "You never know when you'll meet the woman of your dreams, so you need to smell great all the time." The brand needed to sell young male customers on the fact that its deodorant lasts 24 hours.
The insight
Two people lock eyes at a supermarket and are instantly drawn to each other, then follow their desire, leaving a trail of discarded clothes behind them. The idea was to show that whole drama in reverse, capturing both the impulse and the irreversibility of love at first sight. The structure, where the penny drops partway through, is brilliant — viewers are confused at first, then suddenly everything makes sense. That moment of mental click becomes one with the brand's message.
The idea
A 90-second film opens on two naked people in bed. As they move backward through the city, gathering their scattered clothes, they retrace their steps all the way back to the supermarket where they first met. There's no dialogue at all — a cover of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole plays throughout. It ends with the line: "Because you never know when. Lynx 24-7 lasts 24 hours."
What happened
The ad won a Gold Lion at the 2004 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It also picked up four Silver Pencils at the D&AD Awards. In the UK, it ran on television and in cinemas, screening alongside major releases like The Bourne Supremacy. At the time, it was said to be the kind of ad that award shows around the world couldn't stop throwing prizes at.
Afterthought
Instead of showing someone undressing, the ad shows them getting dressed (in reverse) — and in doing so, captures the full intensity of that impulse without a single word. The really good ones give you that moment where it all clicks into place. That's the kind of experience I'd love to keep bringing you too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2004
