Joe Boxer
 

Unconventional Underwear Design Firm Joe Boxer's Nicholas Graham Reigns as the Prince of Power-Packed Promotions


From the moment you lay eyes on Joe Boxer's zany undershorts, you know you're dealing with a company that doesn't take itself too seriously. Discover how founder and funnyman Nicholas Graham has used humor to build brand name awareness.

The voice mail message is the first clue you're not dealing with your "average Joe" company: "Thank you for calling Joe Boxer. If you know your lord or lady's extension, please dial it now. For a manor directory, dial 411 to reach the court jester. Above all, please remember to change your underwear." The greeting inspires giggles.

Leave it to Joe Boxer to always leave you laughing. The company mascot after all, is Mr. Licky, the smiley-face with the giant tongue.

These days, Joe Boxer founder Nicholas Graham's side-splitting jokes and marketing stunts have him chuckling all the way to the bank, as the company he started in 1985 has become wildly successful. The San Francisco-based multi-million-dollar company is now a thriving wholly owned subsidiary of Iconix Brand Group.

It's not surprising that the 40-plus Graham, whose former title was Chief Underpants Officer, would reign over such an unconventional kingdom. After all, he's always been a bit like a salmon swimming against the tide. The Calgary, Canada, native was kicked out of high school. ("I was too damned smart,'' he says in jest.) He ventured around Greece and Sweden for several years "simply having a good time" until he decided he wanted to be a rock-and-roll icon and ventured to San Francisco, where he sang in a local band called Scream of Dreams. Though it was a cool lifestyle, by 1985, Graham realized he had to make a real living. Ever the entrepreneur, he started a small business, Summ, making men's novelty ties. Later that year when someone suggested wacky underwear might be a good follow-up act to his whimsical ties, he went for it. He drew upon his self-taught graphic design background and created a line of boxer shorts with unexpected designs, typified by the "Imperial Hoser," the now-infamous red tartan-plaid boxer that came with a detachable raccoon tail.

Graham's first wife helped to put together the original samples, sewing them herself. They were unique enough to get the attention of a buyer from Macy's California, who was so hyped that he purchased the entire line. The order was more than the duo could handle alone, so they called in a manufacturing firm. Thus was the humble beginning of Joe Boxer, which began with a mere $1,000 investment.

Building a Brand

How Graham built Joe Boxer into a brand is a story of marketing genius. First off, he threw out the rulebook, along with its praises of target marketing. "We're broadly niched. We target anyone with a dollar in their pocket. We never said, 'Let's focus on one segment,'" says Graham of the company's mass-marketing approach.

Graham's also not big on demographics, though he pays some attention to them for specific products. But as far as the brand is concerned, he's not into stereotyping. Turning away from tradition once again, Graham hasn't spent a penny to hire an outside agency to do marketing. "I'm cheap," he laughs. "There are brilliant agencies, but I think of us as a marketing and advertising agency." And although Graham has never taken so much as a single marketing class, he obviously knows how to grab the attention of his customers.

"So much of the 'wow' comes from Nick. I don't know how to explain how his brain works; he's just creative," says Lou Ann Calvert, the firm's marketing director for the last 18 months. "We have these informal meetings and ideas happen."

Another cornerstone of Joe Boxer's successful marketing strategy is doing good while doing well because Graham realizes that being a responsible corporate citizen helps build brand equity. He has, for example, helped to raise millions for AIDS charities, and Joe Boxer is the official underwear of Comic Relief, donating over $100,000 worth of boxer shorts to charity. The company also teamed up with General Mills to entice cereal eaters to enter Joe Boxer contests on the back of Frosted Cheerios boxes. Free boxers were offered, and for each of the 250,000 entries, Joe Boxer made a contribution to Literacy Partners, Inc. Graham also signed on to General Motors' Concept: Cure, a project developed in 1997 in conjunction with the Council of Fashion Designers of America. GM chose four top fashion designers to work with the company to create one-of-a-kind vehicles that were sold to benefit breast cancer research.

Joining Forces

Co-branding has also worked like magic. Joe Boxer tapped Warner Bros. to create a new line of cartoon-emblazoned sleepwear and underwear. The 26-piece collection includes boxers, T-shirts and nightshirts featuring the classic characters - with a twist, of course. On the laughable loungewear, Bugs Bunny cavorts with the Joe Boxer logo and Scooby Doo takes a bite out of Licky. A "Cartoon Couture" fashion show at Warner Bros.' flagship Studio Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City this summer kicked off the collection.

The company also partnered with Motorola on the Joe Boxer Cyberscooter, a rebuilt Vespa scooter that came fully equipped for fast cruising that was featured in the Neiman-Marcus' Christmas catalog. Twelve of the 15 scooters made sold at a handsome $10,000 each.

And, as part of the Virgin Atlantic fashion show, folks who bought five pairs of Joe Boxers received a companion ticket to London on Virgin Atlantic Airways. The response was huge, enough to fill at least five jumbo jets with those ready to see Big Ben.

Graham has also called on comedians time and time again to help boost brand awareness, sponsoring comedy nights at the Punchline in San Francisco and Caroline's Comedy Club in New York, where the first 50 guests walked away with free underwear.

"We've had a lot of success with our partnerships. While we're open to many kinds of arrangements, we have to ask how we can add value to their brand and what they can do for ours, as well as how the consumer wins in the deal too," says Graham.

Don't think, however, that Graham is so publicity-hungry that anything goes. "While we'll pretty much try anything, we won't do anything that insults people or align ourselves with alcohol or tobacco companies," he says, in a rare moment of seriousness. While there are limits, Graham is mostly fearless, and he believes that even promos that have a low level of success are good for his bottom line.


Winning With Humor

You might ask, why use humor to build brand awareness? "'Cause I like it, and I'm the boss," is Graham's explanation. "Really though, humor is fresh, it's not used every day, particularly in our industry." Humor is also a potent weapon in the battle with competitors. Humor makes Joe Boxer shine among those vying for the industry spotlight.

"Staying innovative and having that continue to translate into revenues and brand recognition," Graham says, is a tall order, for him and his marketing pros.

Five years from now, Graham jokes, Joe Boxer will be running the government - at least we think he's kidding. With Nicholas Graham, you just never can tell.