Editorial: Hiring Affleck as face of Lynx is sign of the times.(Ben Affleck, hollywood actor)(Editorial)

What is to be deduced from Bartle Bogle Hegarty's choice of Ben Affleck to front the latest ad for Lynx deodorant? Not so long ago, Lynx ads were an unashamed pitch to lads whose idea of heaven was a romp with a couple of football-loving girls. More recently, the strategy took a more sophisticated twist with the tale of a couple retracing their steps after a one-night stand. Although simple and charming, and a deserved gold winner at Cannes, the film still kept Lynx firmly associated with blokes getting their leg over.

Now comes Affleck - an interesting choice, because of what it says about how adland is having to adapt its offering to reflect the way male consumers see themselves in the new millennium. Affleck is one of a new generation of movie stars who are nothing like the Hollywood hunks of the past. On the contrary, they are often physically unimposing. They come across as ordinary guys who, importantly for advertisers, give other ordinary guys permission to use products they might previously have shied away from.

As Marian Salzman, JWT's resident futurologist, argues on ...