New research has suggested that food and drink brands need to rethink how they market to men.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by New Macho, a specialist men’s marketing arm of agency BBD Perfect Storm, found many old-fashioned, dated and perhaps toxic views of masculinity are still prevalent among UK males, thanks in part to the stereotypes seen in advertising – and particularly for alcohol. Male grooming products, on the other hand, are more reflective of modern male values and attitudes.
It found that around one in six men (15%) still think women should do the larger share of the cooking and cleaning in a relationship, rising to 19% among the supposedly progressive millennials (aged 22-37) and 22% of men in London.
And perhaps even more surprisingly, one in nine women (11%) agree with this view – rising to a quarter (25%) of women in London. Only 8% of UK adults see preparing a meal or cleaning the house as primarily male traits.
In addition, more than a quarter (27%) of men believe they should be the main financial providers for their family, rising to nearly half (43%) of men in London. In addition, one in six (17%) still think that for men to show vulnerability is a sign of weakness.
Meanwhile, the survey found that when buying products, men overall are almost twice as likely than women to think about what the brand name/label says about them. The research therefore asked men to what extent certain key FMCG brands reflect their attitudes and values, and drinks brands in particular didn’t come out of it well.
Brands like Nivea For Men and Mars came out fairly well – only 31% and 34% of men respectively thought they didn’t reflect their values. By comparison, 43% of men say Absolut Vodka doesn’t reflect them at all; 49% say the same about Diet Coke and 54% think that way about Bacardi and Gordon’s Gin.
Similarly, nearly half of men (46%) feel the same about Guinness, 47% about Heineken and 48% about Johnnie Walker.
The study also revealed that despite the growing call for more attention to mental health among men, a quarter of males (25%) still hold to the view that ‘real men don’t crack under pressure’ – rising to 37% among millennials and 41% of Londoners. In addition, one in seven UK males (14%) think that ‘real men don’t cry’, jumping up to 27% of those in London.
New Macho’s Managing Director Fernando Desouches commented: “The groups that are most likely to hold these stereotyped views of masculinity – Londoners, millennials and high earners – are also the most likely to feel depressed or sad. More than half of these groups most often feel that way, so these beliefs may be having a very real and negative impact on men’s mental health.
“The ad industry has to accept some of the blame for this, as many food and drink brands are still portraying men either as aloof and hyper-competitive or as dorks and figures of fun. It’s all just gender stereotyping, which the Advertising Standards Authority is rightly working to eradicate.”
However, the research also highlighted that many UK men are looking for a more sophisticated approach to masculinity: three-quarters (73%) believe men should talk more about their feelings, while 75% believe that ‘being a great father means always being there’ and 83% are of the view that fathers should support their children in whatever choices they make in life.
UK adults were also asked which British celebrity they feel best represents the ‘modern man’ – Prince Harry came first with 28%, followed by David Beckham on 25% and Idris Elba with 18% of the vote.
Desouches added: “In the same way that brands like Dove helped to change how advertisers portray women, there has to be a transformation in how FMCG brands market to men. Sadly, many of their current campaigns wouldn’t look out of place in the 1950s or 60s.
“Instead, brands need to start using their ads and marketing to portray the subtlety, nuance and range of the modern male experience. Gillette, for example, may have courted controversy with its recent ad campaign and fallen into the trap of trying to clumsily force ‘progressive’ traits onto men, but it remains a brand with a lot of values that male consumers can buy into.”
NAM Implications:
- Apart from possible hornet’s nest risks…
- …perhaps suppliers of ‘mens’ products should focus upon female purchasers?
