He was having a cup of Illy coffee inside a café in Pavilion mall alongside a few friends. He was a young man, fair, probably in his mid-twenties, well dressed in smart G2000 office attire and well polished shoes that spell Gucci. His sleeves were rolled half-length to his elbows, revealing his well toned biceps and chiseled chest, the pocket of his shirt revealing the logo of a Marlboro. A worn-out yet unmistakable Tag-Heuer watch was seen strapped on his left hand. He was chatting excitedly, his head hunched into a motion against his latest Sony Ericsson phone….
This is a familiar scene in today’s growing metropolitan. No, not referring so much as to the casual chatter amongst the camaraderie of friends or acquaintances. But the outlook or projection of the modern man today or what the industry writers has cleverly coined up as metrosexuals (in reality, I think it’s a very thin line drawn between the straight and the gays). Park aside the reference to sexuality and you see a modern man today who has been enticed by numerous brands and its corresponding products. What entails in today’s marketing efforts against the general homophobic male species whose favorite past-time dwells on beer, football and beer, or women and more beer?
And talking about women and beer isn’t that exactly what beer manufacturers (market size valued over RM1.0billion sales as tracked by Nielsen) have been exploiting as the key feature in their communication since our father’s and forefather’s generation?
Sex sells. Walk into any international motorsports event and you’ll see the fabulous escort girls accompanying the McClarens or Ferrari team drivers. Sometimes, you wonder if the spectators are actually seeing the race for the sports or the female models themselves.
Of course, not all beer or liquor industry marketing is such. Beer ads today very much feature the brand and product itself as the singular iconic hero (e.g. Carlsberg, Heineken, etc). Brands such as Johnnie Walker have over the last many years tried to embark on a more aspiring approach with their “Keep Walking” campaign, which started off with aspiring individuals successful in their own way and manner of profession. Their latest Keep Walking campaign currently features “The Pact”, embodying the bond, friendship and dreams shared among friends as well as celebrating success and achievements with best friends. Aspiration values are powerful elements to be associated for the liquor brands, historically skewed to male pattern consumption.
However, overall, sex appeal does sell in marketing to men but is no longer stereotyped to women dressed in black dinner gowns highlighting curvaceous boobs in historical beer posters. Fashion ads have, over the decade, been more creative in the use of sexy male models, reaching out to its male clientele from both a physical aspect, as well as the emotional side of male which is largely ignored. Their communication features mostly inspirational models with long goldilocks hair and dashboard abs that a majority of Malaysians would probably not achieve in a lifetime other than resorting to wearing their designer underwear against low waist jeans which they assume projects a sexy image for themselves. Alas, not every man is born a male model!
Other fashion labels such as Guess epitome a sexual wanton in its creative nearer to home local labels such as Seed are seen to position along that route, albeit our local “religious” environment. Luxury brands, though predominantly female skewed, do have a certain male clientele following, with brands like Louis Vouitton, Gucci, Chanel, Rolex and Cartier commanding up to 60% of global luxury brand sales from both genders as reported by Interbrand.
Perfumes are a classic quintessence of sex appeal or in this context where I would coin as “the power of attraction”. After all, opposites do attract. Even names of international designer branded perfume suggest itself to such effects. Example, “Eternity”, “CKin2U”, “Romance for Men” almost suggest fairy-tale endings in a harsh world where most men are breadwinners for the home. Depending on my mood, I sometimes prefer to go low profile with such choices as “Blue” or “Black” for most Mondays of my week, thanks to the ingenuity in creation from Polo.
Historically, fragrance consumption for men has always been second to women but male fragrances have also seen endorsement by celebrities for some time. However, this only started to gain serious traction in 2006 when Sean John’s “Unforgivable” stormed the global market to become the first celebrity brand to achieve top 10 status in the men’s premium segment. Since then, perfumery shelves are fast filling up with more “me-too launches”. New York Yankees baseball player Derek Jeter and R&B singer Usher, are just some of the stars to have seized such opportunities. Even direct sellers like Avon Cosmetics joined the bandwagon by announcing that famed Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey (of Grey’s Anatomy fame) is to create a signature men’s fragrance debut to represent them in US with a global roll-out in 2009. While older males have an appeal for stronger fragrances, the new young generation of Y-males tends to be more attracted to strongly scented body sprays such as Univeler’s Lynx or Axe brands that are cheaper and carry a more edgy attitude, associated with sexual male god-like behaviors in line with their brand positioning to capture the free spirited young male consumers.
While some categories are more straightforward in terms of approach, others may prove a tad more challenging. As men become more inundated in the process of grooming, personal care categories becomes increasingly challenging on the marketing front. Exactly what is personal care to a man? Understanding insights from the male consumer has allowed manufacturers to translate these into categories such as skin care, shaving, hairstyling and fragrances, amongst others.
Globally, per EuroMonitor tracking, men’s grooming products is worth over US$23 billion in 2008 and is one of the fastest growing categories with an estimated compounded growth (CAGR) of 9% between 2008 and 2012. However, mens’ grooming products are highly fragmented. Euromonitor International lists at least 100 brands within this competitive segment. Mass skin care brands are led by Procter & Gamble, estimated an over 35% of market share; followed by Unilever Group at 10% share. Mass brands have increased penetration, with a gradual transition from more upscale brands such as Clinique for Men and Lab Series for Men, to more affordable and widely distributed products including Nivea for Men and Lóreal Paris Men Expert, which are fast growing their presence in Asia.
In a male shopper study done by some professional retail consultants in Malaysia in 2007, it was revealed that the average span of time for a male consumer at the personal care shelf was alarmingly short at a rate of less than 60 seconds! In other words, most male consumers would have made up their minds before approaching the point of sale their preferred brand and product. Over one third of male shoppers make their own purchases at point of sale.
SO EXACTLY WHAT IS THE KEY IN MARKETING TO THE DISCERNING MAN OF TODAY?
“Simplicity is key”, echoed one marketer from a certain industry. “Men are simple creatures”, says a female counterpart from an FMCG industry. “Don’t make them think too much”. True? Although the ego side of the male specie might argue on this point, in reality, men are indeed more simplistic in their approach on shopping behaviours.
At least, we don’t have to be bothered about choices of eye shadow colors, lip colors, lipsticks, foundation or what not. Give a man a pair of razors and he’ll do fine in shaving even without his Old Spice. Traditionally, men have started shaving with just basic soaps and razor blades and cleansed their faces daily with water. Which is why offerings in the personal care segment for men has to begin with the most basic offering as usage and penetration in itself has not even expanded to the masses. On the other hand, this also means a major window of opportunity in the future for both brand owners as well as advertisers alike. Globally, personal care products that tops in usage for male includes whitening toothpaste, deodorants, cologne and after shave.
However, from the men’s perspective, what exactly is the motivation in personal grooming? Most (seven in ten men) say that their main motive is looking good for themselves. What then, defines the rules of attraction?
In a recent male beauty survey conducted by leading researcher Synovate across 12 markets globally (with over 10,000 respondents), one quarter of men interviewed think handsome or good looking man means having good hygiene, fresh breath and being confident. Malaysians in particular think that self-confidence and dressing well are tools to looking good and our female counterpart agrees as well with an added emphasis on good hygiene and fresh breath! Males out there, pack in your breath fresheners now!
In terms of looks, 79% of men agreed that sporting a clean shaven look is the way to go and this is unanimously agreed by women. Women are also indifferent about whether the guy sports a head full of hair or is losing his crowning glory.
In Malaysia, the Personal Care market is becoming increasingly fragmented. There are over 800 brands that engage in at least some form of advertising and estimated expenditure in this category far exceeds all the spending of some of the other categories mentioned earlier, which is usually monopolized by a few key brands.
With the mounting fight to grab share of mind, category management is also becoming an increasingly important aspect in marketing personal care products to men. Male products though categorized differently, should ideally be located together to minimize shopping hassle. As mentioned, the attention span for a man is unfortunately, extremely short. We would not expect a male shopper to hunt down one personal grooming product over a few separate aisles; it’s just not the typical guy thing. Convenience does matter and in this instance, it matters most to the man who is always on the go.
Cultural differences also play a role in marketing to men. If we were to span across Asia Pacific, men do differ in terms of their approaches to personal grooming. Malaysian, Indonesians, Indians and Vietnamese males for instance, generally tend to be simpler in terms of grooming needs, minus the breed of “metrosexuals”. Filipino men (or Pinoy males) as we call them, are a little more elaborate in terms of personal grooming, overtaking the vanity ladder previously set by the Thais.
In the same Synovate male beauty survey, we discovered that none of our Asian fellows actually regarded themselves as sexy, with Malaysians leading the pack in terms of thinking themselves “least sexy” followed by China and France. On the other hand, Greeks and Russians consider themselves sexy followed by South Africans.
However, from the survey, the best looking men are actually Italians!
Good looking men are definitely not seen as coming out of Malaysia, but fortunately for us, over one third of Malaysian women will still prefer to choose local Malaysians as life-partners, whether sexy or otherwise!
In Asia Pacific, Japan skin care accounts for 50% of total Asia’s sales. Men are also becoming increasingly appealing to store-based retailers. In Japan, department stores have led the way in development of men-only retailing, with Isetan department store in Shinjuku being the first store in Japan to feature a sales floor devoted solely to men’s cosmetics and toiletries. China’s skin care companies are also being eyed by many large international manufacturers.
A successful acquisition of these companies would pave the way for the entrant of international manufacturers along with the privilege of introducing and marketing their global brands. In 2008, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Co Ltd bought Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co Ltd in a bid to further expand its presence in the Chinese market. The deal is estimated at more than $300 million, as reported by China Daily. Elsewhere, a domestic personal care company in China named C-Bon is giving international players a run for their money with quality products such as Slek (shampoo) and Maestro (hairstyling), winning strong domestic accolades under their belt such as “China’s Super Brand” awards.
With the emphasis on looks and presentation across most consumer goods categories, packaging is definitely an attribute not to be overlooked. As the consumer becomes more and more saturated with choices, the presentation for the product acts as an important independent advertisement on its own. Every year, companies invest millions of dollars not merely on the product delivery but on the packaging itself. Packaging today is seen as an important “P” pillar of the entire marketing mix, not merely on the product innovation itself. If we analyze the upper mainstream mass skin care products such as Loreal, we see how cleverly they have adapted their packaging innovations from their female counterpart into the male segments. A Revitalift dual dispenser pump for the female category is “re-packaged” as a seemingly similar anti-aging “VitaLift” product for one of its male skin care aging products. Bulk purchasing for packaging materials also allows better economies of scale on purchase terms (basics principles of supply vs. demand in microeconomics), the savings of which could be used by the manufacturer to either upgrade the quality of their product deliveries in future or to offset price increases of raw materials in lieu of currency fluctuations and volatile economic conditions.
Packaging’s importance is not limited to appearances alone. Size and different formats do matter due to differences in market dynamics. In an archipelago like Indonesia with a population of around 240 million, smaller formats cum sizes not only makes it easier for product penetration but also eases the spending patterns for the average masses. Income levels vary widely amongst the population with poverty levels still at a high. We simply cannot expect a uniformity of sizes in this case. The very same principle would very well apply in markets like India, where purchases are made at your friendly neighborhood stores stocked to the brim with a plethora of goods. An average pack size of a 150ml hair shampoo sold in Malaysia would probably be better off being sold in small sachets of 15ml across the Indian market, carried within traditional stores neatly tucked away in most districts of the Indian communities. Due to its low level of maturity in most markets in Asia, store promotions for male personal care are usually not something that is frequently undertaken. Fortunately or unfortunately for manufacturers, males are less gullible in this aspect.
However, as men are usually more “mechanical” in their interests over opposite gender counterparts, some categories steer towards being more functional in their marketing approaches. Automobiles are one such example. In this case, we’re talking industry jargons such as torque, CC (liters), wheels, engines, valves, etc. Cars are big boys’ toys as they put it and most men would aspire to own a luxury car sometime in their life as a status of “I’ve made it”.
We’ve long understood the rationale behind the story of the Mercedes Benz (currently ranked global No.2 behind BMW) for most traditional “Chinamen” who have arrived in the world of business. Unfortunately, that’s about as much as it gets and the fine lines of subtleness are quickly drawn when they sit down in a western restaurant and start ordering “Wan Kopi-O” instead of Cappuccinos.
Luxury automobiles have long built positionings around elements that attract the male adrenalin and emotional side. Volvo has long been projected as one of the safest car in the world thanks to its German technology, BMW’s attracts the competitiveness streak among our male fraternity while the Mini, even though small, is packed with a powerful punch as a car that’s hardly defined by its name itself. One is reminded of the recent Disney release “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” as the chieftain of a pack of Chihuahua announces over the ancient Aztec ruins that they might be small but their voice is mighty. I think that same principle goes for men and their choices for automobiles, regardless of size.
It’s actually quite amazing how advanced car technology has actually become and yet still be able to attract interest from men who would probably otherwise find cooking via a recipe book tremendously challenging in the comforts of home. Women could find solace in this aspect over the best-seller book of “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus”, by acclaimed author John Gray. An example of the theories offered by the book is that women complain about problems because they want their problems to be acknowledged, while men complain about problems because they are asking for solutions. This leads us into some thoughts and discussions for other product categories such as computers and electronic gadgets, including mobiles.
These categories carry very functional driven products that challenge the rational mindset of a man. Interesting to note that men do check on product attributes for electronic devices akin to checking the metaphysiques of an automobile. This is where men actually spend time and effort to “diagnose” the specs of a Dell, Acer or the latest I-POD. They would take the extra time to understand spec differences between models in terms of RAM, speed, MB, and operating systems not just on basis of computer jargon. One could argue that the reason for the so-called attention to detail is driven by the heavier investment outlay on purchases but I would reckon that this is almost a secondary reason over the primary nature of a man in seeking out solutions to complement his lifestyle. In this category, product performance is ultimately the key as conventional marketing is rarely utilized in this arena. What drives sales in the long run is obviously word-of-mouth marketing ala the classic friend recommendation. In this case, “friend” can even be your nearest neighborhood retailer.
The advent of mobile technology has probably created the one obvious “fashion statement” for the man on the move. Brands such as Nokia, Sony and Samsung are constantly competing for share of mind from male clientele. This is also a very competitive field which sees a battle of functional and emotional pay-offs to attract consumers. How do they do it?
Functionality and style are two important aspects in marketing mobile phones. Gone were the very early days when mobile phones were first introduced as a coarse piece of brick back in the eighties. Designs these days are becoming slimmer and their weight lesser. Not forgetting that a deep understanding of consumer insights is important to identify with innovations. Of course, we cannot exactly draw a clear line to say that brand campaigns are only targeted to a certain gender but innovations does take into account some specific needs of the male gender. We can see this in terms of the many inclusions within the phone, examples such as PDA combined, photo-taking, GPS tracking, RSS feeds, to name a few. Viral campaigns are becoming increasingly important as a support tool within the marketing mix. Sony Ericsson, for instance, has created a very interactive website that allows even the most uninitiated user to easily navigate within its pages as well as its product portfolio. Holding true to the basis of simplicity, this concept needs to be religiously applied across all communication tools including the internet. Consistent global campaigns also help to reach out core values to the community of users.
For instance, Sony View, a global mobile camera phone photography competition, is running its successful third year in a row and has been extremely successful.
With the advent of technology, the use of internet media has emerged as an important aspect in marketing to men. In a recent study, Malaysia has emerged as the top 10 media consuming nation out of 52 countries recently surveyed by The Nielsen Company.
Malaysians especially, have an enormous appetite when it comes to consuming digital media (defined as any type of information stored in the computer, including data, voice and video), ranking fifth out of 52 countries. These findings emerged from the entertainment portion of the bi-annual Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, which reached 26,000 online users in September, including 500 Malaysians. In Malaysia, TV ownership of 89 percent is slightly ahead of personal computers (PC), at 87 percent. However, PC’s usage trumped that of TV at 85 percent versus 77 percent, pointing to the pervasive penetration of the PC in modern life. It would be fair to assume most urban males own a personal computer at home, regardless whether it’s desktop or laptop.
Didn’t we mention earlier men’s interest in beer and football or soccer, the choice of verb depending whether we want to sound American or British? If the world is devoid of languages, football can probably emerge as the universal bond that ties our male species together akin to how fashion would tie our female counterparts. This insight has prompted local mobile network providers to participate in football sponsorship airtime, much to the delight of media agencies and of course, the general male society who gets to watch their favorite universal sport minus the repetitive commercial interruptions.
Interesting to note, most sports marketing features celebrity endorsement to reach out to the male psyche.
International advertising firms have over the decade played culprit to creating desirous human iconic figures that pull deep into the labyrinth of a man’s heart.
The recent Olympics that just concluded last year in Beijing has also seen numerous sports brands such as adidas, Nike, Speedo etc endorsing major sport events via celebrity sportsmen. The event also saw the emergence of the Olympian superhero Michael Phelps in the controversial Speedo wear that instantly created a worldwide icon.
One celebrity icon basically allows an entire range of sports merchandise to be sold, which equates to million of dollars globally. Adidas for instance, created different shoes for different sports with technologies like ClimaCool, ForMotion, Traxion Control, QuickStrike, Bounce and Traxion System to name a few. Having said that, style is also important as sports is not just about performing well but also about feeling and looking good.
There used to be this Chinese saying that my mom had told me ever since I was young that the way to a man’s heart is through his food. While that may hold true in olden days, in today’s marketing to men, it takes more than a nice platter of food to entice him. Deep local insights beyond the iconic uses of sexual intonations, languages and flavors, are only the beginning. Today’s men, while simplistic in approach to his female counterparts, have become an increasingly discerning group of consumers since the days of our forefathers. They know how to carry and present themselves in an ever evolving society.
A “next-sexual” is currently seen emerging in developed markets. These new breed of individuals is called “Machosexuals” a further evolved specie of the “Metrosexuals”, the latter’s emergence began in the early 90s driven mainly by pressure from competition in the workplace and hence the desire to stand out. Machosexuals is a merger of macho and metro, inspired by the increasing popularity of sportsmen. They are characterized by more confidence and traditional notions of masculinity over the metrosexual. While obviously being macho, he is unafraid to shop and have a personal style, though not in the likes of Sophie Kinsella’s “shopaholic” heroine ala Becky Bloomwood.
Machosexual males take a more balanced and intelligent approach to shopping. The implication is that the machosexual’s interest in his appearance is more considered than that of the more self-conscious metrosexual.
Hence, a marketer’s task is becoming increasingly challenging to capture that share of voice and mind when marketing to the male consumer. Product offerings need to deliver across all aspects to gain the trust of the male shopper, simplistic as we may be. Having said that, this arena is also filled with some exciting and tremendous opportunities since it’s at such a nascent stage. The key to note is to stay focused on our end objectives and be able to engage with our male audience in the simplest manner.
Now while I would like to have my cup of Illy’s at Pavilion like the young man earlier, looking posh and fabulous (even as I may not), I’ve decided to be a little more prudent and rational as inflation starts seeping into the economy. Thank-goodness there’re some smart people out there who have created this franchise chain of modern styled local coffee-shops called Old Town around our Klang Valley.
Hang on a minute Machosexuals; White Coffee, anyone?