BRUTMarket and Brand Analysis

Jed Helvey, Jackson Knight, Anna Thomas, Colin Elliott

ABSTRACTIdentify the problems facing the Brut brand and offer solutions to revamp Brut’s image as a means towards improving brand profitability.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Identifying The Problem

o The men’s fragrances market has been expanding, but Brut’s market share has been shrinking.

o Men are generally more open to “men’s grooming” products

o Brut’s declining market share can be linked to the inconsistency between current marketing strategies and the brand image that Brut seeks to symbolize.

Brut’s Market Positioningo Brut is currently competitive in two of the six men’s

fragrance market segments: Deodorants & Antiperspirants and Fragrance & Aftershave.

Differentiating Characteristicso Heritage

Brut’s iconic green bottle and rich heritage, legendary endorsers and former household name, are unique in Brut’s targeted segments.

Old Spice and Gillette are older than Brut, but do not capitalize on this.

The 50 and older age group is the fastest growing age group in the market, most likely to remember Brut’s former status as a staple in the men’s fragrance market.

o “The Essence of Man” Old Spice and Axe imply that the target consumer

needs their product as a crutch to be manly, sexy, and appealing.

Competitors attempt to foster insecurity in their target consumers.

Brut serves as a manifestation of and a complement to a man’s intrinsic nature: his essence.

Brut is for the man who doesn’t need a crutch, is not inferior, and has not lost anything

o Go Green The recognizable green bottle allows association with

environmental movement Supported by:

Growing consumer concern for environmental issues

Advent of environmentally friendly products

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IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEMThe market for MEN’S FRAGRANCES has recently been expanding while Brut’s market share has been shrinking.i Male grooming has become much more accepted as men find themselves concerned with maintaining a stylish image and reputation. Magazines such as GQ,

Maxim, Men’s Health and various TV shows and movies, place social pressure on men to fit a physically attractive ideal, similar to the pressure placed on women. The GENERIC NEEDS satisfied by men’s grooming products were once as simple as keeping clean, not perspiring, and not smelling bad. However, with the arrival of new brands and the increased use of LINE EXTENSIONS within these brands,ii those needs have evolved to be less physiological. Today, these generic needs incorporate a variety of psychological factors (e.g.

feeling confident, a desire to attract the opposite sex, a need to make a

statement about oneself) that reinforce the various line extensions in the market.

Brut should be capitalizing on this growth, but it is not.i Part of the problem is the fact that recent marketing strategies, namely the “BRUTSlap” campaign and the “Mantervention” app, are

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CONTRADICTORY to the brand image that Brut seeks to embody.iii By implementing new strategies based on one of the potential differentiating characteristics described below, Brut can avoid an inconsistent reputation and REVIVE its brand image. In doing so, a measure of success for Brut would entail reversing the trend of declining market share and CHALLENGING the market leaders.

BRUT’S MARKET POSITIONING

Brut is competing for market share in the DEODORANTS/ ANTIPERSPIRANTS SEGMENT and the FRAGRANCE/AFTERSHAVE SEGMENT of the men’s grooming market. The men’s grooming market also encompasses the personal cleansing, shaving, and skin care segments of the male grooming industry, however, Brut does not offer products in any of those segments. While Brut intends to offer a “product line complementing all stages of a man’s grooming,”iv it is only relevant in two of the six male grooming market segments, antiperspirants/deodorants and aftershave/cologne.

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v

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vi

DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS

HERITAGEBrut’s ICONIC GREEN BOTTLE

and RICH HERITAGE separate the brand from its competition. Its classic advertisements endorsed by respected, LEGENDARY FIGURES (e.g. Joe Namath, Wilt Chamberlain, Jimmy Connors, and Muhammad Ali),vii as evidenced by the print advertisement to the right, are unique in the men’s

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grooming market. Brut’s original products, cologne and aftershave, remain the brand’s top selling products, but take sixth place in overall market share, as shown by the charts above.

Even though Old Spice and Gillette were founded before Brut,viii neither brand plays the heritage card. Old Spice’s cologne is a part of its Classic line of products and has been sold since 1938;ix however, Old Spice focuses on humorous marketing techniques instead. By using its heritage to position itself against these brands, Brut can find its

niche in the market.Using a heritage campaign will

coincide nicely with CURRENT MARKET TRENDS. Targeting the fastest growing 50 and up age group, as referenced by the chart below, makes sense because the men in this category are the most likely to remember Brut’s status as an iconic, successful brand. Furthermore, the leading demographic of the men’s fragrance market is the 45 to 54-

year-old age group, making up 14 percent. Additionally, these older age groups are expected to retain a healthy amount of the market space in 2017.

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x

In the long term, targeting older men does not mean having to sacrifice the young consumer. We know that people look for social proof to support their behavior. If fathers and potential role models use Brut products, children will be more likely to have a positive view of the brand.

“THE ESSENCE OF MAN”Whereas Axe serves as a crutch for a man to attract women,xi

and Old Spice allows you to become “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,”ix Brut can elaborate on its unique slogan, “The Essence of Man,” to convey that the consumer does not need to be fixed. The word ‘essence’ implies “the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.”xii Brut serves as a manifestation of and a complement to a man’s intrinsic nature: his essence. While Axe and Old Spice attempt to foster dependence on their products through instilling insecurity in their target market, Brut can do the opposite: offer a product for the man who does not need a crutch.

Axe frequently depicts an inept consumer who is incapable of attracting the opposite sex on his own, as depicted by the figure to the right. Axe labels this method of attraction as the “Axe Effect.”x

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Likewise, Old Spice markets body spray in their Red Zone and Fresh collection lines for men who have lost their “mansmell.”ix Axe and Old Spice seek to capitalize on a man’s insecurities and have “planted the seed” that the average consumer is not good enough without them. This insecurity seed is cleverly planted in the psyche of the consumer, because the stage of human development when insecurity is at its height is also the stage at which people begin using these products. The idea that these thoughts are so firmly ingrained in the consumer’s mind will allow Brut to convey a compelling brand meaning strongly opposed to its competitors. Brut’s brand meaning does not imply that the consumer is inferior on his own nor has he lost anything that needs to be gained. Instead, Brut can represent the reinforcement of an individual’s own essence.

GO GREENBrut’s recognizable green bottle allows the possibility of

associating the use of its products with being ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. Nowadays, the phrase “Go Green” is around every corner. Political debates center around environmental issues, and consumers are increasingly given paper-or-plastic types of choices. As awareness

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grows about these issues, consumers are making more environmentally conscious decisions. These decisions are manifested in the advent of things like Smart Cars, hybrids, rechargeable batteries, and biodegradable packaging. Pairing a catchy “green” slogan with something like the reengineering of a more environmentally friendly bottle will appeal to any consumer concerned about doing their part to PROTECT THE EARTH. The good news here is that this target market includes people of all age ranges. Furthermore, parents tend to pass their stances on these issues to their children, a process which will ensure that future generations will also have environmentally aware portions of consumers. 

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FUTURE SUCCESS

Moving forward, Brut is in an opportune position to take advantage of current market trends. By taking a stance opposite its competition, Brut can fill a currently uninhabited market space and use knowledge of the changing market to regain its once strong market share.

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END NOTES

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i Mintel. “Fragrances: Brand Share – Men’s Fragrances,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com>

ii Mintel. “Fragrances: Retail Channels – Drug Stores,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com>

iii "Man Defined." BRUT World. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <brutworld.com/man-definied.html >.

iv "About BRUT." BRUT World. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <(www.BRUTworld.com/about.html) >.

v Mintel. “Deodorants & Antiperspirants,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com>

vi Mintel. “Fragrances: Fragrance Usage by Type – Line Extensions,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com>

vii "Brut (cologne)." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brut_(cologne)>.viii Gillette. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <http://www.gillette.com/en/uix "Old Spice." Old Spice. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <http://www.oldspice.com>.x Mintel. “Fragrances: Market Drivers,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10

Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com>xi Axe. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <http://www.theaxeeffect.com/>.xii "Essence." Google Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2012.

<http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=essence&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8>

Picture References:1. Brut’s Label:http://waycookiecrumbles.blogspot.com/2010/12/brut-review-and-giveaway.html2. Brut’s Cologne: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1276&bih=582&tbm=isch&tbnid=dfcCU9rCnT4xWM:&imgrefurl=http://www.perfumeandcolognemall.com/brut-cologne-by-faberge-for-men/&docid=N3cRYjv4cCBszM&imgurl=http://www.perfumeandcolognemall.com/images/products/pcm-images-0-b/brut-faberge25-m.jpg&w=350&h=350&ei=Nsp1UOiMJ6j30gGv4YCoAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=116&vpy=185&dur=819&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=115&ty=144&sig=113576161249725060439&page=1&tbnh=165&tbnw=177&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:1143. Ryan Gosling on the cover of GQ: http://www.celebitchy.com/131045/ryan_gosling_smolders_as_gqs_january_cover_boy/4. Joe Namath Print Ad:http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-vintage-ad-for-Brut-33-Skin-Moisturizer-with-Joe-Namath-050912-/3604619406985. Old Spice Ad:http://www.tressugar.com/latest/Old-Spice