The caring man is the new macho

Gender marketing messages that target men and products for men are using a new language, and they are also ‘speaking’ in new product groups. Men feel there is pressure on them from commercials and movies to be macho and successful alpha males – this pressure is the same as the one women feel that they need to be supermodels.

Fernando Desouches, managing director New Macho at the agency BBD Perfect Storm thinks: the advertising industry has great responsibility in this situation. Brands and their communication change slower than their target groups. Many advertisements for men are still like they were made in the 1950s.

According to a 2,000-respondent survey made in the United Kingdom, 73 percent think men are allowed to talk about their emotions and 75 percent said a good father is actively present in the family. The time has come for consumer brands to overcome the concept of the ideal beauty and body, and to open up more feminine segments to men. Dove Men Care is a product range that was among the first to speak to male consumers in a new language, focusing on the caring man instead of the machismo in them.

Alexandra Csendes
brand manager
Unilever

Unilever’s AXE is a recruiter brand that targets 13-25 year old consumers. Even this brand changed from the macho message to a more personal, self-expressing one. Brand manager Alexandra Csendes told that good scent is an extension of one’s personality, which communicates confidence, therefore relationships are easier to establish for the product’s users. The latest innovation from the company is AXE Wild: it builds on the current trend of being natural, keeping in mind the fact that this has to be presented differently to young consumers. This essential oil containing product emphasises emotional values.

Zewa’s Care Well Live Well Together initiative makes household work acceptable to men and opens up the related product categories for them. Household work is approached through children and the communication work is supported by dad blogger, psychologist and university teacher Dávid Szél, plus József Balatoni, Hungary’s most popular history teacher, writer and blogger.

US market research company First Insight has published a study recently, which calls the attention of retailers to the importance of taking into consideration the appearance of the man shopper, now that men’s role is changing. It is noteworthy that men shop more often than women, in both the online and the offline channel, in every store format.

Melinda Jáger
sales manager
Beiersdorf

Melinda Jáger, sales manager of Beiersdorf Kft. revealed to Trade magazin that today using beauty products forms part of men’s daily routine too. The cosmetics products developed for men are different because men’s skin is thicker, greasier and has bigger pores. As a reaction to the recent beard trend, the company introduced NIVEA® MEN Sensitive 3-Day Beard Shaving Gel and NIVEA® MEN Sensitive Skin & Stubble Balm. Men are looking for products that were developed with a proper scientific background. In March 2020 Beiersdorf introduced the NIVEA® MEN Sensitive Moisturising Face Cream. It contains precious chamomile extract and vitamin E.

Some men make their own beauty product buying decision and buy the cosmetics themselves, while others make the decision but women purchase the selected products for them. Still, in the majority of cases, it is women who decide and make the purchase too. This is the reason why NIVEA® MEN products target a wide range of consumers. NIVEA® MEN is a brand that offers all of the classic personal care products – deodorants, shower gel and hair care products too. Thanks to this every shopper can find the cosmetics that suit their needs the best. In reaching the younger generations, it can be of great help for the brand that NIVEA® MEN is an official sponsor of the Real Madrid football team.

Gabriella Farkas-Pogács, Colgate-Palmolive Magyarország Kft.’s retail marketing manager told our magazine that they target men in the shower gel category with the Palmolive Men brand. In 2019 the expansion of the men’s product segment came to a halt, and now two-thirds of sales are realised by women’s products and one third are generated by men’s products. The latter is growing due to the premiumisation trend, while the men’s segment produces volume sales growth.

In shops, women’s and men’s shower gels are displayed at different locations. Palmolive’s main message is being close to nature, and in line with this company is increasing the share of natural ingredients in products. Ms Farkas-Pogács explained that formerly new product variants and fragrances were the new innovations in the shower gel category, but these days men are also becoming more open to additional product advantages and extra product components. //