The Brawny Man Gets a Makeover for the Social Era

Brawny refreshed its mascot with a marketing campaign, redesign, and product launch. The Brawny Man, an iconic American brand mascot, just got a modern makeover.

Brawny, the Georgia-Pacific-owned brand of paper towels, is reintroducing its famous character to usher in a new product launch, packaging redesign, and marketing campaign. “Summon the Strongest,” developed by agency Joan Creative, is a “major moment for Brawny” as it unveils its new 3-ply paper towels, said brand director Amanda Earley.

“This is a big innovation in a category that doesn’t see a lot of differentiation, and it deserved a big, bold marketing launch to take it into the marketplace,” Earley said.

Brawny claims its 3-ply product is the strongest, most durable on the U.S. market. Therefore, the refreshed Brawny Man, who has always represented strength, shows up when summoned to help clean up life’s messes.

In some ways, the Brawny Man has stayed the same: he’s still burly, bearded, and dressed in a red plaid shirt. But now, he’s more approachable and “multidimensional” to resonate more with today’s consumers, said Jaime Robinson, co-founder and chief creative officer of Joan.

“We asked, ‘What might the Brawny Man be like today?’” Robinson told ADWEEK. “He is here to help out, he’s a good person, and he gives you the strength you need—but he also has some agency. We had to give him more of a personality and make people fall in love with him.”
‍
In the new ads, people call on the Brawny Man by blowing through an empty paper towel tube. He appears instantly to offer his encouragement and paper towels for messy situations, like a birthday party that got a little wild or children’s playtime.

“We wanted to give him a way to connect directly with consumers,” Earley explained. “We know that today, you can’t just talk to consumers—you have to engage them.”

The commercials also “break some of the [advertising] tropes of the category,” such as picture-perfect scenes of sterile kitchens and easy clean-ups, said Robinson: “It’s all based in culture and real people’s lives, not trying to sterilize everything.”

On social media, the Brawny Man shows a different, more playful side to his personality. He posts memes, advocates for his fellow giants, and taps into social trends like brain rot and vision boards.

“It’s closer to entertainment than advertising,” Robinson said. The “Summon the Strongest” campaign will run across TV, digital, and social channels. Branding agency Bulletproof created Brawny’s new visual identity, including an updated brand mark and new illustration of the Brawny Man. Riding the mascot wave Brawny’s refresh comes as mascots see a resurgence in advertising.

Expedia Group’s Hotels.com recently introduced a new mascot called Bellboy, while other legacy brands have revived classic characters for the social media era. Mascots like Duolingo’s Duo, McDonald’s Grimace, and Scrub Daddy’s grinning yellow sponge have become social media personalities in their own right, leaning into absurdist and quirky humor that resonates with younger audiences.

The Brawny Man himself has gone through several iterations over the decades. Since first appearing on the brand’s packaging in 1974, he’s had different hair colors, shirts, and amounts of facial hair. For Women’s History Month in 2017, the brand debuted the Brawny Woman, a brunette who also wore a red plaid shirt.

While historically, the Brawny Man often embodied traditional tropes of masculinity, the new version tries to avoid playing into gender stereotypes. “How we think about the Brawny Man is that strength is universal,” Earley said. “Being able to summon your own strength is something that all consumers should feel is accessible.”