360PR Blog

We’ve addressed the topic of marketing to men, specifically dads, on the 360PR blog before (see Laura’s blog post “The Dad Factor” ) and, yesterday Advertising Age published a somewhat related article about marketing to men that caught my eye. Not only does the author, Abigail Posner, encourage companies to reach out to this relatively untapped consumer group, but she emphasizes the importance of reaching men especially in a tough economic climate.

Women make 80% of the buying decisions in all homes, so when marketing a product used in the home, it seems logical to stick to the tried and true and reach women. However, Posner argues that “Tough economic times demand innovation to motivate people to buy. And bringing men into the marketing equation doesn’t just give you a larger group of consumers; it means a new set of benefits, a new story to tell and even new product ideas.”

It’s always a risky and bold move to target a brand new consumer demographic. Take pregnancy tests, for example. It’s a product designed for women, a product that males will never personally use. Nearly all of the pregnancy test ads on TV or in magazines target women, usually featuring a woman or a soothing woman’s voice and the color pink. However, Clearblue Pregnancy Test mixed things up by targeting men with the following TV ad. While the ad is a couple years old, it’s the only pregnancy test ad I’ve ever seen that targets men.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqX7VxW3wL0

Do you think that this strategy is effective or do you know of any other examples of a company that has reached an audience that is out-of-the-ordinary for their product?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing |