Brut Promotion Plan

December 2015

Sales

& Sales

Promotion

Carter Smalley | Jessica Scarcella | Lauren Ryan | Matt Hirsch

PROMOTION PLAN

BRAND HISTORYp. 3

BRUT has been the national symbol of masculinity in the fragrance industry for over40 years. Conceptualized and launched in 1964 by American cosmetics companyFabergé, the brand was originally called “Brut 33” because the fragrance containedapproximately 33% of the original product. Containing mostly basil, lemon, lavender,and anise, Brut was positioned by its parent company as a “lighter” scent but still“masculine”. When Brut 33 was renamed to its current title, BRUT, and sold to

Unilever in 1989, its main product, which is cologne, was then called “Brut Classic byFabergé.” It was after this that the company’s product line began to expand, with theintroduction of new men’s grooming products such as aftershave and deodorant. In2003, BRUT’s rights were sold to Idelle Laboratories. However, Unilever is stillresponsible for distributing the brand’s products in many regions worldwide.

REPOSITION THE BRANDp. 4

Today, maybe even now more than ever, men’s grooming is not

only incredibly popular, but socially acceptable by men. As seen

with the resurgence of beards, straight razor shaving and

premium men’s grooming products, men’s grooming and style

has become much more prevalent in recent times. Keeping

these trends in mind, there is no better time to reposition Brut

than now.

Brut is a cologne brand that has been a staple of American

history since 1964. Since its inception, Brut is oftentimes a

fragrance bought by teenagers to signify their transition into

manhood, and this shows throughout Brut’s entire product line

which complements the various stages of the male grooming

process. In order to reaffirm their message of manliness, they

have had various spokesmen throughout the years such as Joe

Namath, Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Connors. Advertisements

by Brut, especially in their heyday, stressed the importance of

characteristics seemingly held by the ideal Brut man – courage,

a sense of community and teamwork, and strength. While at the

time this was an effective strategy, the image of manliness and

maturity appealed less and less to the masses. When fashion

designers – and strong cologne competitors – Calvin Klein and

Tommy Hilfiger burst onto the cologne market with their scents it

was everything Brut wasn’t – a fragrance that was celebrating

youth. To keep up with the changing market, Brut attempted to

introduce new colognes that featured lighter and fruitier scents,

but it failed and there was a big reason why – Brut had already

established itself as the scent of a man.

Moving into today’s market, Brut’s image of manliness is one

that should identify well with consumers. Looking at some of the

heavyweights in the cologne market, whether it be more upscale

like Tom Ford and Dior or more economically sound like Old

Spice, one thing is clear – the desire to smell like a man is back

in. With this in mind, we plan to go back to Brut’s roots and focus

on emphasizing maturity, manliness and strength.

For men, Brut is the scent that makes you the man you are – strong, smart

and capable. Brut, above all other colognes on the market delivers the

essence of manliness because we understand the everyday man’s man.

Positioning statement:

TARGET MARKETp. 5

JOHN

BLAKE

Brut’s popularity peaked in the 1980’s and 1990’s with younger men in their 20’s

and 30’s. The brand’s audience has stood the test of time but, as the brand ages,

so does its consumer. Brut’s current audience comprises men ages 4560 and

these men are extremely brand loyal. If Brut hopes to survive, it must maintain its

current audience but reposition itself to appeal to a younger audience.

John is an active male in his 50’s who is married and

lives with his wife, Mary. He has two grown daughters

and enjoys spending time with his family. John is a

general contractor who is looking to retire within the

next ten years. John prefers to shop with his wife and

she’ll often purchase things for him. He does not

make many purchase decisions without consulting his

family. John tends to purchase items when he needs

them and prefers to shop at local stores. John’s been

a consumer of Brut for nearly 30 years.

Blake is a 27 yearold technology professional living in

New York City. He owns an apartment in Brooklyn with

his girlfriend, Heather. Blake’s ultimate career goals are

to open his own technology company. Blake is always

on the cutting edge of new product development and is

easily swayed to try a new product. He aims to be

perceived as unique and is always looking to discover

something new. Blake spends a lot of time on his phone

and laptop and is an ideal customer in repositioning Brut

as a younger brand.

TARGET MARKETp. 6

TODD

Brut’s popularity peaked in the 1980’s and 1990’s with younger men in their 20’s

and 30’s. The brand’s audience has stood the test of time but, as the brand ages,

so does its consumer. Brut’s current audience comprises men ages 4560 and

these men are extremely brand loyal. If Brut hopes to survive, it must maintain its

current audience but reposition itself to appeal to a younger audience.

Todd is a 33 yearold young banker living on Long

Island with his wife and two young children. With a

young family, new mortgage and some student

loan debt, Todd lives comfortably but is always

looking for ways to cut corners and save money

financially. Todd has already started college

savings for both of his children and has started

saving for retirement. Todd is an ideal potential

customer for Brut because he looks for affordability

and is extremely brand loyal. Todd is customer

that may use Brut for the next 3040 years, if

satisfied.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSISWORKSHEET

p. 7

CONSUMER PROMOTIONSp. 8

Brut is known to be an affordable brand and is sold at most local retailers. However,

consumers don’t know enough information about Brut to purchase it. In the past, the

brand has been known for offering coupons and has even moved towards using e

coupons. Recently, Brut remarketed its product as a mantervention in effort to increase

sales. Their current tagline is “Let Your Man Out”. Although this is a great start, there are

many things Brut could be doing to engage their consumer.

POINT-OF-PURCHASE

SAMPLES

CONTEST

To raise recognition of the brand to the consumer,

Brut should consider investing in PointofPurchase

displays at retail stores. PointofPurchase displays

are often used in hightraffic areas and final

destination points while shopping. Around 50% of

all purchases are made via impulse buy. Pointof

Purchase displays are one of the biggest factors as

to why the purchase was made. PointofPurchase

displays can also increase direct conversions.

Brut should partner with local barbershops or a major haircut brand to offer

samples. Men confide in their barbers and the barbershop is a communal

place for discussion among men. A man may be more likely to try Brut if he’s

offered a sample from a credible source. This could be a great way to

increase wordofmouth and direct conversions. The samples could be given

in a goodie bag or envelope with a coupon as well. Samples are effective in

reducing the risk of trying a new product and can be versatile in their use.

To create brand awareness and a calltoaction, Brut will host an #UnleashYourInnerMan

contest. Men will post pictures to social media of themselves embracing their inner man.

The prizes for the contest will be a VIP Super Bowl Ticket Package and win a mancave.

Contest and sweepstakes help to increase purchase intent. Social media will help increase

organic chatter and brand engagement.

p. 9

TO DAD, WITH LOVETHE GIFT YOU CAN ACTUALLY

AFFORD TO GET HIM.

THIS FATHER’S DAY MAKE

THE SMART CHOICE AND BUY

BRUT.

FOR EVERY ONE PRODUCT YOU

PURCHASE GET A SECOND 50%

OFF.

50% OFF

Valid for online and instore purchase 50% off valid on item of lesser value Brutworld.com

UNLEASH HIS INNER MANTHE GIFT YOU CAN ACTUALLY

AFFORD TO GET HIM.

THIS FATHER’S DAY MAKE

THE SMART CHOICE AND BUY

BRUT.

FOR EVERY ONE PRODUCT YOU

PURCHASE GET A SECOND 50%

OFF.

50% OFF

Valid for online and instore purchase 50% off valid on item of lesser value Brutworld.com

COUPON EXAMPLES (FATHER’S DAY)

TRADE PROMOTIONSp. 10

In order to reintroduce the new Brut into the cologne market,as well as get support from suppliers and distributors, we

will be engaging in three trade promotions: sampleallowance, trial size allowance and buyout allowance.

SAMPLE ALLOWANCE

TRIAL SIZE ALLOWANCE

BUY-OUT ALLOWANCE

For a sample allowance, we would have our suppliers offer an allowance on the condition that our

retailers give sample products to consumers. Since the cologne market is currently saturated with

competitors from Old Spice to Calvin Klein, we figured by working with suppliers and retailers to offer

consumers a sample of Brut would give them a chance to try out the product without the pressure of

switching to a new brand cold turkey, give them an inside look at the new, updated and manly Brut

and if they’re not buying Brut, show them why they should be.

With our trial size allowance trade promotion, small or trialsized packages are usually arrayed in a

shipper display and are prepriced to give the retailer a very good margin. By using this specific

trade promotion, we keep the relationship between our supplier and retailer strong and we also are

reinforcing our sample allowance trade promotion by following it up with instore shipper displays.

Once we have successfully implemented and carried out our first

two trade promotions, we will introduce our last trade promotion

which is a buyout allowance. After these two first trade

promotions, we will have a relatively good idea on how both

consumers, suppliers and retailers are reacting to our product. If

we see that the reaction is positive, a buyout allowance, which is

an agreement to pay for the removal of goods to clear shelf space

for your product, would be a logical next step.

SALES FORCE PROMOTIONS

Brut’s sales reps are going to need some form of encouragement when selling to

distributors. The goal is to keep employees feeling as if they are appreciated to the

highest level and give them a reason to continue performing at their best. Brut wants its

sales force promotions to be obtainable by its employees; we want them to be able to

reach the ultimate goal of receiving that bonus or winning that vacation. This will be

accomplished through a number of strategically set sales force promotions.

1

2

3

The first tier will provoke a friendly competition between

the sales reps. The rep with the highest sales within a 5

month period will get to have the “comfy chair” for the next

5 months. Allowing the sales reps to know who had some

of the best sales within that 5 month period will encourage

them to increase their sales for the next period.

The second tier will consist of the reward of a bonus. This bonus will be given based

off of the number of sales within a 3month period. Choosing a 3month period will

keep employees engaged within a selected amount of time that will keep them

motivated. If reps have low sales early in the year it is possible they will feel

discouraged and think the goal in out of reach. The three highest performing sales

reps within the 3month period will earn bonuses.

The third tier will consist of winning a

vacation at the end of each sales year.

This will again, be awarded to the sales

rep with the best sales for the entire

business year. The winner of this

promotion will not be eligible to win the

first or second tier sales promotions.

Brut’s employees with be able to receive a number of sales force

promotions that will be organized through a three tier system:

ALTERNATIVE PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES

p. 12

BLOGSWe believe that working with bloggers will increase exposure for the Brutbrand. Pitching for specific features as well as providing giveaways willcome at minimal to no cost when working with a public relations team. Webelieve the provided list of blogs fits the Brut user as well as the brand.Within each of the blogs there is a mix of high quality and bargain products.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNSWe will use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to implement social media campaigns. These

campaigns will be in part with our sweepstakes portion of our consumer promotion. For example

one of our campaigns will be a spin off of their tagline, unleash your inner man. For this campaign

we will encourage men to post pictures of themselves "unleashing their inner man" by hash tagging

#unleashyourinnerman. The campaign will be advertised through a serious of posts including our

celebrity brand ambassador, Nick Offerman.

UNLEASHYOUR

INNER

MAN.

As Brut undergoes its recent rebranding, publicity is an important tool in spreading the word

quickly about the brand. There is an opportunity to appeal to influential and younger audiences by

building the new consumer experience. A great way to do this would be a trunk show where press,

influencers and brand loyalists would be invited. This event would encompass and define the

overall Brut experience. As a brand under Unilever, this would be a great opportunity to expand

awareness of Unilever products.

BRUT TRUNK SHOW


p. 14

YOURUNLEASH

INNER

MAN.HIS

UNLEASH

INNER

MAN.

p. 15

HISUNLEASH

INNER

MAN.

p. 16

YOURUNLEASH

INNER

MAN.UNLEASH

MAN.INNERYOUR

Since Brut is known for havingfamous people represent its brand,we feel that continuing with this trendwill reduce alienation of the older Brutconsumer and draw in the youngermen transitioning into manhood. Asof now, the Brut brand is going for arisky humorous image, we feel it isgood to emphasize humor but thebrand needs to identify with all of itsconsumers rather than one of itstargets. Nick Offerman is “the allamerican man” and it is easy fordifferent age groups to identify withthe vibrant comedian that he is.

NICK OFFERMAN


BUDGET BREAKDOWNp. 18

CONSUMER PROMOTIONS

SALES FORCE PROMOTIONS

ALTERNATIVE PROMOTIONS

TRADE PROMOTIONS

Sales Force “Comfy Chair” Competition: offers a brand new, luxurious chair to the BRUT sales representative

with the best sales records in a given month (Total: $170)

Bonuses will be offered to sales representatives that demonstrate outstanding commitment to their clients and

great service (Total: $9,900)

In the second sales force competition, a getaway vacation with all expenses paid (lodging, travel, spending

money) will be provided to the salesman who generates the most sales in the calendar year (Total: $14,000)

24,070

Buyouts: Purchasing products from drug stores and retailers to clear shelf space (Total: $40,000)

InStore Samples: samples of BRUT’s product line to be given out by retailers (Total: $30,000)

Trial Size Allowances: providing trial sized sample packages that retailers can give to consumers

(Total: $20,000)

90,000

Super Bowl Sweepstakes Travel for 2, Lodging for 2, Box Seats VIP Tickets to Super bowl 50

(Total: $80,000)

Point of Purchase Displays: BRUT promotional displays set up at the front of drug stores and retailers

(Total: $30,000)

Barbershop and Other Out of Store Samples: samples of BRUT’s product line to be given out at locations

where the target audience will be receptive to learning about the brand (Total: $50,000)

Remaining total budget of $145,930 will be designated to coupons for Super Bowl Sweepstakes and product

discounts

305,930

Branded Content: Designed to increase the reach of BRUT’s brand recognition by partnering with blogs to

which the target audience is loyal (Total: $10,000)

Social Media Promotion: Dedicated to promoting the BRUT brand and informing the target audience about

the company’s product line through social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat

(Total: $55,000)

BRUT Trunk Show: This extravagant publicity event will showcase the BRUT brand to media personnel

(including press), potential retailers, and BRUT brand loyalists. It will also inform event guests about

Unilever’s other brands and news about the company (Total: $120,000)

Nick Offerman “All American Man” Campaign: A digital campaign with branded content, video spots, and

banner ads designed to help convey the message of the BRUT “Unleash Your Inner Man” campaign

(Total: $120,000)

305,000

BUDGET SUMMARYp. 17

CONSUMER PROMOTIONS | 42%

SALES FORCE PROMOTIONS | 3%

ALTERNATIVE PROMOTIONS | 42%

TRADE PROMOTIONS | 13%

UNLEASH YOUR INNER MAN.

Brut Promotion Plan

Business

Transcript of Brut Promotion Plan