Grooming its brand for a broader audience, Dollar Beard Club drops a commercial today that's thick with hirsute celebrity endorsers.
Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman is the most famous of these bushy brand-boosters. Most have niche appeal. And not a bare chin in sight. Their moms must be proud.
"We wanted a really amazing mix of people in this to appeal to a huge variety of guys," Beard Club co-founder Chris Stoikos tells Adweek. "We have made friends with a lot of awesome bearded influencers, celebrities and athletes. Fortunately, we have made them all laugh. So, when we approached them for this video, everyone was definitely excited."
That laugh line refers to Stoikos' own appearances in a string of silly Beard Club spots. He's cavorted with lions, punched dudes in the face and dropped F-bombs while pitching the club's monthly deliveries of balms, waxes and shampoos for facial hair. These efforts generated 130 million global views and helped the startup snag $14 million in revenue over the past 15 months.
In the new spot below, which jokingly aims to dispel various "myths" about beards, Stoikos shows up near the end, the last shaggy spokesman with a strand of dialogue:
"By using so many different influencers, we know there is something in here for everyone," says club co-founder Alex Brown. "This obviously hits home a lot more for 'beard aficionados,' you might say, and for guys who are participating in Movember and No Shave November. Our primary focus was to really make something people would love to watch, and that has more of a branding focus as opposed to customer acquisition. We also want people to go, 'Whoa, was that Richard Sherman?' "
Why yes, it was. (He's the one with the beard. Heh.)
Beard Club ads began as unrepentant parodies of Dollar Shave Club commercials. It seems fitting that "The Truth About Beards" upholds this spoofy tradition, sending up celebrity-driven California tourism campaigns in which familiar faces like Kim Kardashian lightheartedly debunk misconceptions about the Golden State.
Hmm, wonder why Beard Club didn't recruit Kim K. for its latest ad? Maybe she couldn't grow out a goatee fast enough.
All kidding aside, according to Stoikos, the Beard Club represents and reflects a full-on lifestyle revolution. Its marketing, he says, serves not only to entertain and sell product but to unite bushy bros everywhere and grow a sense of community.
"We want people to watch this and feel the brotherhood that exists between bearded guys as a force of nature," he says. "I know everyone has witnessed this in real life, if they think about it. Whether it's a fist bump or a beard compliment, facial hair unites men everywhere in a way that is hard to even explain. This is what we wanted to encompass in our video, and this is what our brand is all about."
CREDITS
Client: Dollar Beard Club
Writers: Tim Merlau, Corey Sheppard, Chris Stokes
Directors, Producers: Dan Dobi, Corey Sheppard, Chris Stoikos
Editors, Cinematography: Dan Dobi, Corey Sheppard
Talent:
Sean Whalen - Facebook Influencer
Nicely - World Famous Barista
Riley Hawk - Professional Skateboarder (son of Tony Hawk)
Clint Walker - Professional Skateboarder
Mischa Janiec - World Natural Bodybuilding Champion
Kurt Year - Actor, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS LA
Maddison Rowley - 2x World Beard Champion
The Man Spot - Instagram Infleuncer
Gay Beards - Instagram Infleuncers
Brent Burns - NHL Player
Adam Lazzara - Taking Back Sunday Frontman
Max Nosleeves - YouTube Comedian
Brenden Hampton - Entrepreneur
Dan Bilzerian - King of Instagram
Richard Sherman - NFL Player
