Author: Carol Moore, Account Manager
Date: 14 Jun 2010
Categories: Brand design articles greensplash articles
Whilst you struggle to find the perfect gift for the man who has everything this month we tell you more about how the world of advertising targets men effectively and how you can position your goods and services to appeal to the darker sex.
It’s true that women view advertising differently to men. The processing of information is very different between the sexes. Women tend to process more extensively on many different pieces of information whereas men tend to rely more on mental shortcuts. This relates back to the ‘hunter-gatherer’ concept that men will seek out any immediate threat whereas women will remember the colour and shape of the potential threat. Way back, men had to eliminate unnecessary details quickly, simplify the situation and then react swiftly to guard their assets.
Simple, singular advertising works best for men – think ‘Yorkie – it’s not for girls’. Men work very much in a macro way and will want to see the bigger picture when being tempted by a product or service. If you want to sell a fashion to a man then don’t make the advert direct or complex. Most men won’t want to appear to be bothered about fashion in case their mates think that they are too narcissistic or overly concerned about dress.
However, if you want to attract the attention of your male customers then do use sexual cues. The famous line ‘sex sells’ is absolutely true when you look at the make up of many advertising campaigns today – think about the deodorant advert that has hundreds of scantily clad ladies chasing after one man with an underarm problem! The most common theme for male advertising will be that of portraying the man as being virile, masculine and strong.
Colours will be bolder, simpler and darker for male based advertising plus they don’t do ‘burgundy’ they do ‘red’. Think about the Coke can for example. Is there really a product difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke? No. But there certainly is a design difference…not many men would admit to being on a diet but would be happy to buy a can of fizzy drink which looks like it’s wearing a sports shirt.
Adverts aimed at men will also be placed during the intervals of most sports programmes rather than during daytime programmes or soap operas which are perceived as women’s programming. This is also true for taking out advertising in sports programmes or billboards at sporting events. If you want to grab the attention of a male audience then go where they go! Be seen at the match, the golf course or the racing track.
The good news is that men tend to remember the name of the advertiser - the bad news is that they think they are dull and boring unless they feature an attractive person. Give them fewer options and a call to action and you’ve hooked them!
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