How do you market to men? Naturally, all panel members answered, "research." But there are commonalities among all of the presenters' case studies. The most surprising: Humor. All panelists agreed that humor, especially irreverent humor, is critical to the success of a male-targeted campaign.
This session was moderated by Keith Richman, the CEO of Break Media, a company that knows a thing or two about appealing to a young, male demographic.
As you would expect, marketing to men requires adequate amounts of research. And Richman brought up a funny, research-driven observation by saying that "this is the end of the era of the metrosexual." A majority of men are participating in things like "manscaping."
Various other observations about things that are important to the male audience (specifically, 18-34):
- Sight, sounds, and motion are important elements for men. Men like to watch video.
- Men watch less TV than women.
- Women browse, men buy. So don't waste their time. Give them something valuable and rewarding to do after you engage them. Show a clear path to action or conversion.
- Show the full value proposition up-front. Don't hide anything.
- Irreverent humor is critical. (This point is brought up again and again.)
- Always act like the leader in the space to get people to believe in your brand. Act like you are forward-thinking and future-proof.
- Don't ever assume that your product or service is understood. Invest in campaigns that drive education about your brand's product or service.
- Use all available channels (web, PR, CRM) for granular education about the brand
To go above and beyond the norm, if your budget allows, consider some or all of the following:
- Don't forget that TV is still a great tool and can be used to effectively launch a digital campaign.
- Use Twitter and consider investing in a promoted trend.
- Create custom content per channel. If you advertise on a gaming network like Machinima (for example), make sure that you thoroughly understand what the audience likes and wants. Consider allowing the channel's content creators collaborate on the creation of the messaging.
- Engage: Don't fall back into old advertising habits with one-way messaging. Watch the online conversations and create new content that responds to the audience demand.
