BRUT
MARKET AND BRAND ANALYSIS
Jed Helvey, Jackson Knight, Anna Thomas, Colin Elliott
ABSTRACT
Identify 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 Positioning
o Brut is currently competitive in two of the six men’s fragrance
market segments: Deodorants & Antiperspirants and Fragrance
& Aftershave.
 Differentiating Characteristics
o 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 PROBLEM
The 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 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
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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.
v
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vi
 DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS
HERITAGE
Brut’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.
x
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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 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
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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 GREEN
Brut’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 paperor-plastic types of choices. As awareness 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
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/mandefinied.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/u
ix "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=UTF8&oe=UTF-8>
i
Picture References:
1. Brut’s Label:
http://waycookiecrumbles.blogspot.com/2010/12/brut-review-and-giveaway.html
2. Brut’s Cologne:
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1276&bih=58
2&tbm=isch&tbnid=dfcCU9rCnT4xWM:&imgrefurl=http://www.perfumeandcologn
emall.com/brut-cologne-by-faberge-formen/&docid=N3cRYjv4cCBszM&imgurl=http://www.perfumeandcolognemall.com
/images/products/pcm-images-0-b/brut-faberge25m.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=113576161249
725060439&page=1&tbnh=165&tbnw=177&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,
i:114
3. 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-withJoe-Namath-050912-/360461940698
5. Old Spice Ad:
http://www.tressugar.com/latest/Old-Spice
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