Gillette’s entry into the beard care space was born out of necessity following a dramatic change in the culture of men’s facial hair—suddenly, beards were everywhere. Forced to write down its shaving business by $8 billion in 2019, the Procter & Gamble brand tapped agency Circus Maximus to co-create a shaving brand focused on beard care. King C. Gillette launched in both retail and direct-to-consumer in April of 2020, just as the pandemic struck.

Rolling out globally, including in the U.S, U.K., Europe and the Middle East, the brand was backed by a campaign targeting “bearded craftsmen,” which included a content series with barbers. Circus Maximus worked on brand strategy, package design, product development, social content and more. Orders outpaced projections twice over, while its products received 4.8 star ratings. In just two months, it had become the No. 1 brand in the category.

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