Duke Cannon: Brand Positioning Case Study

A few months ago I (Tyler) ran out of my “expensive” cologne.

For over a decade, I’ve spent $50-100 on a bottle of Polo Blue. Overpriced? Sure. But aren’t all colognes?

I did some digging and most cologne/perfumes have a whopping profit margin of 90%. Wow. That’s why when I was at Target one day and saw a nice looking bottle called “Duke Cannon.”

I turned the bottle over and read the words “This isn’t cheap drug store cologne” — and I was hooked. So much so, they’re the subject of this week’s brand breakdown.

Let’s get into it…

💼 The Brand: Duke Cannon

Duke Cannon was started on Veteran's Day of 2011. Its co-founders Sam Swartz and Anthony Albanese were former PepsiCo marketers and decided to build a premium grooming brand that stood out from the Axe and Old spice body sprays of the world.

💛 The Heart (Purpose & Values)

Duke Cannon’s purpose as a brand is to ”better the day of hardworking men.” It’s a simple premise, but it’s one that helps them stick out…

👤 The Head (Strategy & Positioning)

Most colognes position themselves as luxurious and exclusive. Their commercials feature ripped male models with wind swept hair wearing all white as they jump into a body of water.

Not Duke Cannon.

They are “proudly unpolished” and always use in-house talent. They desire to be unapologetically manly and approachable.

This doesn’t mean cheap, like they make mention of on the back of their bottles, it simply means that they’re proud of who they are and what they represent.

This is why we’d classify their brand personality as “Authoritative.”

Want to know if your brand personality is “Authoritative” or “Connected” or “Luxurious” or another type? Take our 2-minute quiz here.

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✋ The Hands (Tactics)

Here are a few of the ways Duke Cannon expresses their brand personality:

• Masculine Packaging & Naming - Every product carries a rough, masculine edge. The colors are rustic & earthy and are all named things like “Fresh Cut Pine,” “Campfire,” and “Gun Smoke.”

• Buffalo Trace Brand Partnership - Nothing screams rustic Americana like a soap bar x whiskey brand partnership. Not just any whiskey brand, but the oldest one in America.

• Brand Messaging - Duke Cannon doesn’t shy away from communicating what it believes. It proudly proclaims its products have been tested on “soldiers not boy bands.” And it even goes more in depth on its About Page: We value things like hard work, family, community, and bacon; we champion builders, creators, sledge hammerers, holders of doors, and fixers of toilets; and we have the utmost respect for teachers and farmers and soldiers and first responders—so it’s no wonder good folks feel right at home in Duke Cannon Country.
• Veterans Give Back Program - Duke Cannon giving a portion of its proceeds to any worthy cause is a great idea. But the fact that it gives to an organization that aligns with its and its target audience’s values makes it even more brilliant.

Steal The Strategy

Duke Cannon is unapologetic when it comes to its brand personality. Part of this has to do with its brand personality being “Authoritative.” But you don’t have to have that as your personality to embrace your uniqueness with confidence.

Whatever it is that makes you and your brand unique…

Whatever it is that you and your brand believes…

Whatever it is that you and your brand is trying to accomplish…

Learn from Duke Cannon and buy all the way in and you might just find a community who is just as passionate as you are.

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