Brut is making a comeback. The once dominant brand which had iconic endorsers such as Joe Namath, Hank Aaron, Wilt Chamberlain, and Muhammed Ali, had not been heard from in years (decades even) until recently when they kicked off their, “Some Men Just Need To Be Slapped,” (as in slapping Brut aftershave) on your face ad campaign.
It seems Brut is trying to be cool again by teaming with one of the coolest guys in radio, Jim Rome. The Jim Rome Show AKA, “The Jungle,” is an iconic national sports radio show. Rome has a great brand. He is hip. He has swagger and a large, almost cult like, following (listeners dubbed clones). I am an admitted clone. I have been a fan of Rome and his show since the late 90’s.
It looks like a great move by Brut to partner with the Jim Rome brand. Not only does he have their target demographic locked up but his brand has what Brut desires…Rome is cool. Brut even sponsored the premiere event on the show and radio, The Smack-Off! This day, the best callers in the show’s 25 year history call and battle for supremacy. The winner is named the annual,”King of Smack!” The Smack-Off is an event to which all callers aspire. It is the Superbowl of sports radio. The Wrestlemania of The Jungle. Clones (the ones who work) take vacation for this day. It’s serious business. Usually, the title, “King of Smack,” is the prize, but this year Brut gave away a Vegas MMA package or RV Tailgate which resulted in the best Smack-Off eve
r. Coincidence?
Brut seems to be trying to follow in the footsteps of a similar brand that recently made a comeback, Old Spice. Old Spice not only picked their “swagger” up but also their sales. When beginning a brilliant viral video campaign they were already enjoying a sales increase of 55% in subsequent months after their first TV commercial. After the viral campaign, in which they made over 100 personalized videos responding to comments on twitter and facebook, sales rose to 107%!
Brut has got to have more presence on the web and in social media. They do have a website where you can slap various guys to a beat and a facebook page where you can slap some star look-a-likes, even the Old Spice guy. This is a good start for Brut. But, it’s just a start. Brut should look to partner with more cool guys such as Stephen A. Smith or Petros & Money. Just having one cool guy won’t be enough to build your cred. Having a cool consensus will build your brand. It will be interesting to see what they will do next. What do you think their next move should be?
BrettScottMBA.com 
This is interesting! How well are they using social media to market to their target market? If they aren’t then that may be a good step for them to take.
Thanks! Yes, they do have a social media presence but they have not promoted it well. The twitter followers are not where they should be. I had to look to find them actually. If they are smart they will find away to follow the lead of Old Spice who have shown the way….