ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's teens are facing a confidence crisis when it comes to dating. In fact, 47% of U.S. and 49% of U.K. teen guys (14-24) have admitted that they have held back on asking someone out on a date because they didn't feel confident enough*. AXE's new research, The AXE Confidence Crisis, reveals that Gen Z is facing a very real barrier when it comes to getting up close and personal, so the brand is working with Netflix's Sex Education to help teens better navigate these anxiety-provoking situations. Overall, AXE's data reveals a general lack of knowledge about love, sex and dating with little to no resources for guys to turn to. By inspiring open and honest sharing of knowledge around attraction and injecting some urgently needed humor, AXE is aiming to unawkward the awkward, to help release some of the pressure teens feel when it comes to social situations and dating.  

Digging further into the study, the brand also uncovered that 42% of U.S. and 44% of U.K. guys aged 14-24 say they feel more comfortable speaking to people they're attracted to on social media rather than in real life*. With the rise in dating apps and sliding into people's DM's, dating in the digital age can come with a lot of pressure.

To address these challenges of dating culture, AXE teamed up with the fresh season of the hit teen drama, Sex Education, which is known for tackling the awkward and often taboo subjects that teens wrestle with in high school. The brand will be hijacking Dr. Jean Milburn's "Bringing Up Men" book to make the ultimate modern guide for young guys when it comes to dating, sex and masculinity. The new spin on "Bringing Up Men" will inform and inspire teens to find their confidence by unawkarding the awkard and encouraging connecting IRL, making even Otis, Maeve and Eric proud. The book's chapters will live exclusively on Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and AXE.com and will be released throughout the year.

Each chapter will unveil a number of real-life stories from actual teens and the cringe-worthy situations they've encountered while dating. The honesty and relatability of these stories will hopefully release the pressure guys feel by opening up the conversation to help instil confidence for those who have dealt with similar situations. The new dating book will have various chapters that focus on a specific topic related to sex and dating. The topics will be introduced by one of the Sex Education characters and include real teen dating fails like overcommitting to a goodbye kiss when the date gives a hug to ruining a first kiss with an open-mouthed sneeze and even the dreaded autocorrect fail text.

"Sex, dating and relationships are such a big part of our guys' lives, it only made sense for us to work with the experts at Sex Education to create hilarious but educational stories to help teens break out of their dating funk and gain the confidence as they navigate this new world of dating" – Caroline Gregory, Global Brand Director, AXE

To learn more about AXE's partnership with Sex Education, follow @AXE on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

PRESS CONTACT
Victoria Kwan
[email protected] 
212.819.4870

AXE Crisis Confidence Research*

AXE funded this research in December 2019 and worked with marketing research firm GfK, specifically within the US and UK markets, to survey Gen Z males around the topics of dating, confidence and sex. GfK surveyed 1,200 individuals per market via an online interview questionnaire that captured top line demographics/psychographics, beliefs & behaviors surrounding sex/dating, dating advice preferences, dating timelines, sexual partner timelines, and pornography usage/dependency.

About AXE^®

AXE, the No. 1 men's fragrance brand in the world*, champions individuality and self-expression by encouraging guys to embrace their personal style. With a full line of grooming products including daily fragrance sprays, deodorants, anti-perspirants, shower gels, shampoos and styling products, AXE gives guys the tools to express what makes them unique, authentic and ultimately attractive to the world around them. Visit AXE at AXE.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook to get access to exclusive content, special promotions, and more.

*Source Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2017 edition; as per Men's Deodorants & Men's Fragrances retail value sales combined; UBN; 2016 data; Lynx includes all AXE/Lynx/Ego sales

About Unilever  
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. It has 155,000 employees and generated sales of €51 billion in 2018. Over half (60%) of the company's footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has around 400 brands found in homes all over the world, including Dove, Knorr, Dirt Is Good, Rexona, Hellmann's, Lipton, Wall's, Lux, Magnum, Axe, Sunsilk and Surf.  

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company's strategy and commits to:  

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.  
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.  
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.  

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company's Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017. 

Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognised in 2019 as a leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, since 2011.  

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.   
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/   

About Sex Education

Sex Education is about Otis Milburn, a socially awkward high school student who lives with his sex therapist mother, Jean. In season 1 Otis and his friend Maeve Wiley set-up a sex clinic at school to capitalise on his intuitive talent for sex advice. In season 2, as a late bloomer Otis must master his newly discovered sexual urges in order to progress with his girlfriend Ola whilst also dealing with his now strained relationship with Maeve. Meanwhile, Moordale Secondary is in the throes of a Chlamydia outbreak, highlighting the need for better sex education at the school and new kids come to town who will challenge the status quo.

Sex Education season 2 is now streaming on Netflix

The series is produced by Eleven. Season 2 is directed by Ben Taylor, Alice Seabright and Sophie Goodhart. Jamie Campbell, Laurie Nunn and Ben Taylor are also Executive Producers on the series.

The series stars Asa Butterfield (Ender's Game, Hugo), Gillian Anderson (The Crown, The Fall), Emma Mackey (The Winter Lake, Eiffel, Death on the Nile), Ncuti Gatwa (Stonemouth, The Last Letter From My Lover), Connor Swindells (The Vanishing, VS), Aimee-Lou Wood (Louis Wane), Kedar Williams-Stirling (Will, Roots, Wolfblood), Chaneil Kular (Informer), Simone Ashley (Broadchurch), Mimi Keene (Tolkien, Close), Tanya Reynolds (Emma, Delicious), Mikael Persbrandt (Invisible Heroes, The Girl in the Spider's Web, The Hobbit, King Arthur), Patricia Allison (Les Miserables, Moving On), Jim Howick (Broadchurch), Rakhee Thakrar (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Samantha Spiro (Game of Thrones, Tracey Ullman's Show, Babs, Doctor Who), James Purefoy (Rome, Altered Carbon) and Alistair Petrie (Deep State, Rogue One, Night Manager).

* Source "AXE Dating Confidence Crisis," a research study by AXE/Unilever, of just over 2,400 men age 14-60 in the U.S and U.K Conducted in December 2019.

SOURCE AXE

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