Men’s Grooming Brand Duke Cannon Names Quality Meats Agency of Record

Men’s grooming brand Duke Cannon has selected Quality Meats as its creative agency of record (AOR), it exclusively told ADWEEK. 

The agency will collaborate with the brand’s internal team to develop campaigns that will “provide a fresh new take on men’s grooming,” according to a statement.

Duke Cannon declined to disclose the size of its account in billings, but COMvergence estimates its media spend for year at $16 million.

A serendipitous review

Prior to hiring Quality Meats, Duke Cannon “never really worked with a traditional ad agency,” said chief marketing officer (CMO) Oliver Pérez, instead relying on its in-house creative team.

But Gordy Sang, Quality Meats co-founder and co-chief creative officer, reached out to Pérez in August after taking a liking to its soap and packaging. 

“I hit up Oliver randomly on LinkedIn just dropping him a note about my use case and said, ‘Hey, if you’re ever in the market for marketing, I’d love to have a chat,’” he said.

The timing of Sang’s message was serendipitous. As it prepares to launch new packaging, Duke Cannon was looking to hire an agency to help it come up with “bigger, breakthrough ideas,” said Pérez.

The competitive review only involved one other agency and began shortly after the two connected.

Pérez said the brief was intentionally broad as he was curious how each agency interpreted Duke Cannon’s brand.

“We were drawn to Quality Meats’ impressive level of strategic thinking, collaborative working style, and vision for the brand that truly celebrates the DNA of Duke Cannon – grit and hard work,” he said.

Founded in 2011, Duke Cannon was born as a direct-to-consumer business, eventually landing on shelves in stores like Carhartt, Ace Hardware, Target, Walmart, H.E.B., and more.

With help from Quality Meats, the brand hopes to hone in on its point of view through more fast-paced and visual work. Peréz said. 

A win for Quality Meats

Duke Cannon is the latest brand to join Quality Meats’ roster as AOR, including DoorDash, Saxx Underwear, Marquee Sports Network, and three brands from Kimberly-Clark. The agency, which launched in 2020, also won Restaurant Brands International chain Firehouse Subs this year.

In addition, new projects came in from U by Kotex, CAVA, and Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits. Quality Meats is also behind GoDaddy’s upcoming AI-themed Super Bowl LIX spot.

Its first campaign for Duke Cannon will launch in March 2025.