MTV & Axe Team Up For Co-branded Content... And Boy, Does It Stink.

Branded television content. It's like manna to an advertiser's ear. Especially if the advertiser is Axe Body Spray and you're trying to reach the almighty high school student market. Let us introduce MTV's newest television show, The Gamekillers. Which, surprise, surprise is filled with references to Axe as reality show contestants go on dates with women and meet up with "a variety of chracters engineered to test their game" After the jump, the worst press release known to man. Snippet: Whether it's keeping their game environmentally friendly in front of Natural Disaster or letting The One Upper talk until the girl sees he's full of two things (the second one himself), throughout the show AXE provides tactics for defeating each of the Gamekillers and making sure guys know how to keep their game tight. Don't say we didn't warn you. NEW YORK, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Entire generations of guys have crashed and burned at the hands of Gamekillers; people whose sole mission is to cause them to blow their cool and force them to lose the girl. AXE has heard what real guys have to say about these evil forces. Now, along with MTV, they will show them how to spot these predators from a mile away and defeat them. MTV and AXE today announced the premiere of the network's new series "The Gamekillers," a show that follows unsuspecting guys on dates with beautiful girls and pits them against a variety of characters engineered to test their game. The series, produced by advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty and entertainment company @radical.media, is the result of a partnership with AXE. While guys have experienced these characters in real life, the entertaining and suspense-filled MTV series will introduce them to the world in a part-scripted, part-reality format that turns the typical dating show on its head. The series features real guys who don't know that everyone else involved, including their dates, are actually actors. As the Gamekillers are unleashed on the scene to stifle game, the guys have to heed numerous tips if they want any chance to win the girl's heart, or at least get in her pants. If the guy keeps the girl, he will receive the ultimate honor of having his name engraved upon the ancient AXE Gamekillers Chalice, joining the exclusive fraternity of men who throughout history have successfully defeated The Gamekillers. Whether it's keeping their game environmentally friendly in front of Natural Disaster or letting The One Upper talk until the girl sees he's full of two things (the second one himself), throughout the show AXE provides tactics for defeating each of the Gamekillers and making sure guys know how to keep their game tight. The first show airs on Friday, September 21 at 7pm ET/PT. "Axe talks to scores of guys and girls about what it's like in the dating world, and we kept hearing about people with these annoying, infuriating and sometimes alluring qualities that always get in the way of sure hookups," said David Rubin, Brand Development Director, AXE. "Working with BBH, Radical and MTV, we created a breakthrough series that shows regular guys on a date unknowingly encountering these same kinds of obstacles they face every day." AXE, an innovator in creating clever, irreverent content that explores the humorous encounters between guys and girls, approached MTV because it was the most relevant and entertaining network to bring the idea to the small screen. "'Gamekillers' is back, and the MTV audience is in for another wild ride," said John Shea, EVP, Integrated Marketing & Brand Partnerships, MTVN Music and Logo Group. "Together, working with Axe, we are creating an engaging programming experience that exemplifies what MTV can do with a marketing partner that is innovative, creative and willing to push the envelope with us." Unilever/AXE While AXE is best known for its deodorant bodyspray, the Unilever-manufactured brand also is available in an anti-perspirant, deodorant and a shower gel. Axe is the No. 1 male Anti-Perspirant Deodorant brand in the U.S. The shower gel, launched in 2005, reached No. 1 status five months after hitting shelves. The brand's mission is to help guys get the girl with fragrances that reflect individual personality and lifestyle. AXE products are sold in North America at food, drug and mass outlets with a suggested retail price of $3.99. MTV Networks MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. The network also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide. @radical.media @radical.media is a diverse, global entertainment company that has produced numerous award-winning feature films and television programs including the Academy Award winning "Fog of War," the Grammy Award winning "Concert For George," "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," winner of the Independent Spirit Award and Jay-Z's "Fade To Black". Additionally the company produced the recent critically acclaimed television series "Iconoclasts" on the Sundance Channel, the premiere episode of "Mad Men" on AMC, "Nike Battlegrounds" on MTV, "Fast Cars and Superstars" on ABC and the Emmy-winning series "Ten Unexpected Days That Changed America" for the History Channel. Bartle Bogle Hegarty Bartle Bogle Hegarty is an advertising agency located in New York City, with a global reputation for highly effective strategic and creative integrated brand communications. Clients include Levi's, Axe, Vaseline, Dyson, All, British Airways, EDS, Johnnie Walker, Gold Toe Socks, Smirnoff Ice and Sony Ericsson. More information is available at http://www.bartleboglehegarty.com. CONTACTS: Jennifer DeGuzman Matt Kohan MTV Edelman/AXE 212-846-7175 312-240-2695 Jennifer.deguzman@mtvstaff.com matt.kohan@edelman.com

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MTV & Axe Team Up For Co-branded Content... And Boy, Does It Stink.

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