Marketers Follow the Flock to Spring Break

By JULIE BOSMAN

March 9, 2006 - New York Times

MARKETING to students on spring break used to be simple: a company would set up a stand on the beach, hand out product samples and let the message spread itself.

But now, spring break has become a stage for increasingly expensive and sophisticated advertising campaigns.

"The days of putting a branded tent on a beach and then handing out stuff is just dead," said Brian Martin, the chief executive of Vacation Connections, an event marketing firm based in Montclair, N.J., a division of Brand Connections. "It's becoming much more elaborate and much more extensive."

"When you're in vacation environments, you tend to be a little more receptive to marketing messages because everything is slowed down," Mr. Martin said.

Axe, made by Unilever, has introduced an estimated $2 million advertising campaign to promote its line of deodorant body sprays and shower gels aimed at young men. The company began advertising during spring break in 2003 with Axe-sponsored parties, but this year's campaign — "Axe Boot Camp: Spring Break Readiness '06" — is the biggest effort yet.