What Axe’s Viral TikTok Moment Reveals About Embracing Chaos in Internet-Era Marketing

Modern marketing lives in a constant tug-of-war between control and chaos. On one side sits the polished precision of traditional advertising; on the other, the unpredictable energy of internet culture. The smartest brands aren’t picking a side anymore, they’re learning to play in the middle. When a TikTok creator’s mock redesign of an Axe Body Spray can exploded online, the brand didn’t retreat or overcorrect. It leaned in, embraced the absurd, and turned a viral joke into a masterclass in how giving up a little control can create a lot of connection.

The philosophy is personified by Mik Manulik, the VP/Group Creative Director at The Martin Agency, the firm behind the campaign. Drawing on over two decades of experience developing campaigns for giants like GEICO, Burger King, and Microsoft at top agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Manulik advocates for moving away from the traditional top-down advertising model. He turns his creative teams into "Internet anthropologists," immersing themselves in online communities, decoding their language, and joining the conversation from the inside out.