executive summary - wordpress.com · 2013-07-03 · by axe and old spice.[iii] we take fourth place...
TRANSCRIPT
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⊕ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ⊕ The Essence of Man
o A Brut man is confident and secure James Bond, The Dude
o The Brut essence is one that can be found through one scent no matter who is wearing it
⊕ A New Direction o Increase market share and sales o Men’s fragrance market is in the growth stage o Brut needs to increase consumer recognition of the brand
Appeal to psychological GND’s ⊕ Positioning For Success
o Old Spice and Axe are juvenile and immature Attempt to fill a void in the consumer’s life
o Moderately priced ⊕ Right On Target
o Men who are confident and secure, or men who aspire to be o Brut will use the “sweet spot” to its advantage o No emphasis on gender segmentation
Women purchase 60% of men’s grooming products ⊕ Advertising And Promotional Strategy
o Focus on cognitive aspects o Re-familiarize consumers with Brut o Get rid of current social media campaigns o Lifestyle television ad o Still life print ads
⊕ Product Changes o Narrowing the Brut line
Brut cannot afford to spread itself thin o Stay focused on one scent, one essence o Iconic logo, revamped bottle
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⊕ ESSENCE OF MAN Creating a new brand meaning for Brut is the key to attracting consumers and
eventually gaining market share. Using its slogan, “the essence of man,” Brut can
become the fragrance choice for men who see themselves as confident and secure -
or men who aspire to be confident and secure. Brut will be a manifestation of a man’s
already calm, cool, and collected “essence”. Rather than focusing on others’
perceptions, Brut will be concentrated on reinforcing the buyer’s perceptions of
himself. This image of the Brut Man is already true to its website’s description of a
man whose “determination and self-worth is motivated by staying true to himself.”[i]
What is a Brut man? A Brut man never regrets a first impression. Though he
frequently takes risks, his poker face ensures that he never has to fold. He is
confident and secure with his identity. He recognizes that his choice of grooming
products should not be filling a void in his life, but rather his decision to use Brut is a
reflection of his essence. Being a Brut man is not reserved for one certain type of
person: the successful businessman, the outdoorsy fly fisher, the athlete, etc. Brut
will be the choice for everyone from James Bond to The Dude. A Brut man is anyone
who combines Bond’s mature confidence with The Dude’s easygoing confidence,
conveying that he only answers to himself. He does not expect to repair his flaws
with his grooming products. He chooses Brut, because he knows exactly who he is,
and Brut reinforces that.
Finally, the fact that Brut only has one scent will support this new brand
meaning by representing the unchanging essence of a Brut man. There is a Brut man
inside every man. Think about the James Bond series. While, many different actors
have played the role of the dashing secret agent, everyone conjures up the same
confident, cool image in their minds when they think of James Bond. Similarly, a Brut
“essence” is one that can be found through one scent no matter who is wearing it.
Though a Brut man may prefer his martinis a certain way, his essence is never
shaken nor is his character ever stirred.
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⊕ A NEW DIRECTION
“Essence of Man”, the revived brand meaning of Brut, encompasses a new
marketing direction that will lead to successfully reaching our financial growth goals
of increasing market share and sales, as seen in the table below. Men’s fragrance
sales are estimated to increase by five percent in 2012. Brut will aim to increase its
sales by at least the projected market growth.
Year Projected Overall Sales
(millions of dollars)
Overall Growth
Percentage
Brut’s Projected
Sales at 5%/yr
Brut’s Projected
Market Share 2012 1,257 5 9.98 million $ 3.15 2013 1,282 2 10.48 million $ 3.9 2014 1,351 5 11 million $ 4.65 2015 1,448 7 11.55 million $ 5.4 2016 1,541 6 12.13 million $ 5.15 2017 1,625 5 12.73 million $ 6.9
These projected figures are objectives meant to turnaround Brut’s sales
decline from 9.6 million dollars in 2010-11 to 9.5 million dollars in 2011-12.[i] Our 2.4
percent stake in the men’s fragrance market did not decline, but our two main
competitors, Axe and Old Spice increased 1.5 percent and 0.6 percent in market
share when they already dominated 30 percent of the market.[ii] Brut’s decrease of
1.2 percent of sales strongly contrasts the 5.8 percent and 7.3 percent gains in sales
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by Axe and Old Spice.[iii] We take fourth place in market share overall, but hold no
significant share in the deodorant/antiperspirant market and we only hold a seven
percent share in cologne/aftershave as shown below.[iv]
The men’s fragrance market is currently in the growth stage of the product
lifecycle curve. Brut will emphasize market penetration. We will strive to improve
consumer recognition of the iconic brand, keeping Essence of Man consistent
across products and advertising. The focus will be on buying and accepting our
brand, thus, they are not just buying a product, they are buying an idea. Brut can
then gain market share in two ways, by challenging other competitors and thus
showing Brut to be a good alternative to what is available in the marketplace, and
also by bringing new consumers into the market as the new generic needs strike
appeal.
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 pressure on grooming for males, those
needs have evolved to be less physiological. Male grooming has become much
more accepted as men find themselves concerned with maintaining a stylish image
and reputation. Today, these generic needs incorporate a variety of psychological
factors such as: feeling confident, a desire to attract the opposite sex, and a need to
make a statement about oneself. Essence of Man as Brut’s brand meaning will fulfill
psychological GNDs that males are looking for. Brut will satisfy.
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⊕ POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
The market space available for Brut is in the moderately priced, mature
positioning base. Using the Law of Opposites, we can capture this positioning base
by pushing our main competitors, Old Spice and Axe, further into the childish and
immature space. Old Spice and Axe market themselves as an inexpensive tool for
young men to seduce women and be manly. Axe targets men who are generally
interested in women for the first time and are relatively un-confident in their ability
to attain them. Thus, while this is maturation for a child, it comes across as juvenile
for men past adolescence. Likewise, an overbearing scent does not result in
immediate maturity, it is simply a facade and the first step towards manhood for a
child, but inappropriate for an adult. By labeling these brands as childish, we can
strategically position our product with a characteristic men strive for throughout
their life, maturity, which does not limit our target demographic to a younger
segment.
Our positioning base differentiates from our competitors by satisfying an inherently
different generic need definition than Old Spice and Axe. Brut is positioned for a
consumer who is sufficient (or more) on his own, whereas Old Spice and Axe
position themselves as tools for consumers who need to fill a void. In looking at the
Old Spice ad above, Old Spice is depicted as instrumental and responsible for the
user winning gold medals, learning to use a chainsaw, and consequently becoming a
man. Brut will position itself for the man who is capable of such feats on his own and
would even be insulted that a deodorant take responsibility for his successes. He
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does not have fundamental flaws that need a crutch. As Brut, Old Spice, and Axe all
focus on a moderately priced product, Brut can capitalize on the immaturity of Old
Spice and Axe to appeal to a more mature target consumer.
Likewise, It is not calm, cool, or collected to overcompensate by buying an
overpriced fragrance from Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren.
Thus, it is consistent with our differentiating characteristic that Brut be moderately
priced. Although Calvin Klein and Ralph
Lauren also are in the mature positioning base, they are expensive and would not
capture the same position as Brut. Similarly, although a positioning base exists
cheaper than AXE and Old Spice, a consumer searching for the cheapest deodorant
would likely not identify with the differentiating characteristic of Brut and that lowest
cost-positioning base is already diluted with Walmart Brand and Discount Brand
products.
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⊕ RIGHT ON TARGET
Brut’s intended target market will be segmented primarily on the
psychographic variables of personality and lifestyle. In terms of personality, we
want to focus on men who view themselves as confident and secure or who aspire to
be confident and secure. In terms of lifestyle, we want to market towards
“explorers”, who are defined as being “comfortable with themselves and not
obsessed with physical appearance. They also express strong or old-fashioned
values,” (text page 195). These individuals will be especially responsive to Brut’s
new marketing strategy because their self-confidence is precisely the message that
Brut’s new brand meaning conveys. Also, by segmenting psychographic ally and
targeting individuals that fit into our personality and lifestyle categories, we will
appeal to men from a broad range of ages, allowing us to take advantage of a
substantially larger target market. The size of the market could be measured
through mass surveys and could be easily accessed through advertising during
television programs that confident “explorer” type men watch, through print
advertising that they read, and so forth.
Our advertising will feature men in the “sweet spot” age range of 20-30,
which will allow us to capitalize on the fact that we are segmenting
psychographically rather than demographically. The ads will appeal to consumers
who are in the 20-30 age range and attract both younger and older consumers
because teenagers aspire to be like their older role models and older consumers
aspire to be like the younger men they wish they still were. We will not place an
emphasis on gender segmentation, even though this is a male product, because we
want our marketing mix to be appealing to both men and women, since women are
often the ones who purchase fragrances for their men. According to research done
by Proctor & Gamble, women purchase 60% of men’s grooming products
(¢). Accordingly, it is important that our advertising and differentiating
characteristic not alienate women because they are essential in the buyer/user
relationship.
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Our marketing strategy will be particularly compelling for the individuals in
this target market because, one, their personalities will be drawn to the new brand
image and meaning of Brut and, two, as self-confident and “explorer” type
individuals, they will be quite uninterested in the competition. Axe and Old Spice
solve GND’s that these individuals already have satisfied. Thus, they don’t need
help to become confident in themselves or to appeal to the opposite sex.
In the hierarchy of communication effects, Brut must first focus on the
cognitive aspects, helping the consumer move from ignorance to awareness and
knowledge of Brut as we recreate our brand image. Because Brut has little to no
remaining market share, as aforementioned, Brut must focus on mere exposure at
this stage and re-familiarize consumers with Brut. This can first be established by
inexpensive pay-per-click online advertising that accomplishes the goal of
increasing brand exposure. In addition, Brut can use Promotions with samples that
are proven to enhance brand loyalty through the the psychological principle of
reciprocation and the principal of foot-in-the-door. Both concepts state that a
consumer will be be significantly more likely to purchase a product once they have
been given it for free. Such promotions can be advertised on Brut’s social media
sites which could hold contests to meet Brut’s iconic figures consistent with Brut’s
brand image. However, Brut must be careful to not replicate its current ad
campaigns such as Brut Slap and “Some Men Just Need to be Slapped,” but reinforce
its “Essence of Man” image. The ad below attempts to mock the Old Spice Man,
Isaiah Mustafa, but comes across even more childish than the Old Spice Man Brut is
mocking.
Brut will benefit from
creating a new television
advertisement that supports this
new brand meaning. The most
recent Brut advertisements have
not supported the characteristics of
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a Brut man listed on the website. The ads are juvenile and, in some cases, degrading
to women. Since we know that women purchase the majority of men’s grooming
products, Brut needs to avoid any controversy and create an ad campaign that will
be appealing to both sexes.
Certain types of ads will not be effective for Brut right now. For example, a
comparative ad does not make sense for Brut at this stage, because Brut, having little
to no market share, cannot just immediately try to state why it is better than the
competition. First, Brut will need to establish a new name for itself. A lifestyle ad is
the most effective way to reach our target market. For example, the premise of the
ad would be a high stakes poker environment in which the Brut man is participating.
As the camera shows the cards in each player’s hand, the audience quickly realizes
all of the players have good hands except for the Brut man who has a pair of 3’s.
However, the Brut man maintains his confidence and raises the pot. The other
player’s all fold out of fear and the Brut man is shown raking in his chips with a
confident smirk on his face. This ad is neither juvenile nor degrading to women, and
it will support the brand meaning by showing the calm confident lifestyle of the Brut
man. Showing ads like this one on ESPN or on network channels during sporting
events will get Brut’s brand name out there along with a solid representation of the
new brand meaning.
Also, Brut’s most recent print ads lack a central theme, and they are juvenile
just like the television ads. In order to support the new brand meaning and to get
Brut’s name circulating among the public, it will be most effective to create still life
print ads showing the new bottle against an aesthetically pleasing background.
Having these ads appear in Sports Illustrated, GQ, and other magazines bought by
men will place the product right in front of our target market’s noses.
⊕ PRODUCT
Currently, Brut markets ten products. The BrutWorld Web Site has a
“product line complementing all stages of a man’s grooming.” The male grooming
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market has evolved into five categories: deodorant/antiperspirant,
aftershave/cologne, personal cleansing, shaving, and skin care. Brut’s ten products
only fall into two of these categories; thus, their current brand message is
inconsistent. Essence of Man will involve narrowing the Brut line to the products that
reinforce a man’s intrinsic nature.
Brut sells six different forms of deodorants and antiperspirants; none of
which are clearly described on the website. We will streamline this to two products.
Both products will have ingredients that are odor and sweat fighting. One will be a
clear gel form and the other will be a more traditional solid stick version.
Brut has no share in the deodorant market. To change this we must focus our
efforts on the two deodorants we feel will be the most appealing to consumers.
Spreading ourselves too thin is not wise and unsupported line extensions would lead
to a weakened brand meaning. By stopping production of four deodorant products,
we will be able to focus our redistributed financial resources on marketing Essence.
Brut sells aftershave, splash-on, and aftershave balm. These three products
will all be eliminated. Currently they are not unique enough products to warrant a
strong generic need. It is not clear how they are very different from cologne. Also,
Brut does not sell any other shaving related products, like creams or razors, so we
are not fully supporting our brand with the eliminated products. A step in men’s
grooming is skipped, the act of shaving, and leaves room for our competition to gain
ground. Instead of creating a line extension, we are choosing to simplify our
offerings until we are more financially stable. The emphasis on cologne will allow us
to be more focused on increasing market share in this one male grooming category.
Narrowing ourselves to three products expresses that a Brut Man is secure and calm
with minimal intervention from his grooming products. Using a deodorant and the
cologne will allow for the manifestation of his essence.
Remaining focused on one smell, one Essence, enhances Brut’s brand
meaning. The Brut scent has been consistent since its inception in 1964 and signifies
a Brut Man no matter which male is wearing it. Adding additional scents would only
dilute our message - one Essence easily complementing and at the heart of a variety
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of men.The two deodorant/antiperspirant products will have the same scent; this will
be a less intense or different degree of the same scent of the cologne. The
deodorants’ physiological purpose is odor protection and anti-perspiration, while
the cologne’s physiological purpose is an added fragrance. It is plausible to have
the same scent for both products since they address two different physiological
general need definitions. Deodorant negates the negative effects of sweating and
sweating itself, while cologne can be applied in an individual’s desired amount to
reach their optimal scent perception level. Add in psychological GND stuff now
Simplification would differentiate us from every other moderately priced,
male grooming line. We easily accommodate a variety of men without the 17 scents
both Old Spice and Degree carry or the 11 variations of products that Gillette
carries. A Brut product works for all situations and times, while Old Spice markets its
Sweat Defense antiperspirant with a scent for athletics, Pure Sport, and a scent for
going to the bar after work, After Hours. This interchangeability provides options,
but also confusion and a mixed brand message. As do Axe’s 5 products, all with the
same scent. The Axe smell is already known to be overpowering, do you need to
apply more to be even more intense or because two products are efficient enough?
⊕ PACKAGING As a part of our comprehensive effort to increase Brut’s market share by
improving consumer awareness and reviving the brand’s image, we will change the
shape of the bottle in which Brut cologne is packaged. We want to retain the iconic
green color and the Brut logo, but the glass bottle will have a much shorter neck and
a flatter, squarer shape. We feel that this shape will be more appealing to our target
market as it is more aesthetically pleasing and promotes feelings of composure and
assuredness. It will also act as a concrete and visual indicator of the changes being
implemented in the renewal of this once great brand.
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Brut will maintain its current price structure, as we feel this is fitting with the
new brand strategy. We will remain moderately priced, about equal with our
main competition, Axe and Old Spice. We are not a high-end luxury
fragrance nor a discount fragrance, so there is no reason for us to modify our
prices.
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⊕
OPTIMAL PRICE AND LOCATION
As moderately priced male grooming products, both the deodorants and cologne
will be found in Walmart and other drugstores. The market segment Brut is targeting
shops at these variety stores out of convenience; the simplicity of a one stop shop,
once again reaffirming our one essence. The one change in Brut’s relevant
placement will be where it sits on the shelves of the aisles. Currently Brut products
are hidden from view by being high or low. By aiming to be at eye level on the
shelves, we hope to assert our reaffirmed relevance and to gain brand recognition.
Brand: Product: Wal-Mart Price:
Body Spray $3.97 Axe
Deodorant $7.48
Cologne $7.47 Old Spice
Deodorant $2.67 - $7.54
Cologne $6.67 Brut
Deodorant $2.07
Cologne $5.00 Discount Brand
Deodorant $1.97
Calvin Klein Cologne $30.00
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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: Brand Share – Men’s Fragrances,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com> [iii] Mintel. “Fragrances: Brand Share – Men’s Fragrances,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com> [iv] Mintel. “Fragrances: Brand Share – Men’s Fragrances,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://academic.mintel.com> [v] Mintel. “Fragrances: Retail Channels – Drug Stores,” 2012. Mintel. Washington and Lee. Lexington, VA. 10 Oct. 2012. http://academic.mintel.com http://pawade0484.hubpages.com/hub/Old-Spice-Market-Overview
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