A lot of research and studies have looked into how to engage men and communicate the correct message to them, given that the market holds huge potential.
According to Euromonitor figures, by 2016, the US male grooming industry is projected to grow to $5.8 billion in revenue.
Research from Mintel shows that younger men are driving sales of personal care services, suggesting that this is a key demographic to engage.
Non-traditional
Therefore, as personal care brands expand their offerings to men beyond the basics of body wash, shampoo and shave cream, they are having to think about how to engage the male consumers, and this means taking a different route from traditional advertising.
According to the latest L2 ThinkTank report on digital marketing, Personal Care brands, including Dove, Gillette, Nivea, Old Spice, and Schick, have used video campaigns to reach this growing market.
They’re all at it
Nivea’s “Silence the Irritation” campaign includes a six-episode web series entitled “Just Face it.”
Designed in partnership with Break Media, the comedy series lives on a custom page of MadeMan.com where users can participate in a weekly sweepstakes and engage with editorial content. The ‘webisodes’ have generated more than three million views across channels.
The same videos on MadeMan.com average 558 times the number of views as on the Nivea for Men YouTube channel.
In anticipation of the new Superman film “Man of Steel,” Gillette created the “How Does He Shave?” campaign on its custom YouTube channel with four videos featuring expert theories on how Superman shaves.
Viewers could vote or tweet their own hypotheses via the #HowDoesHeShave hashtag. The videos have received more than 2.5 million views and have generated 4,000 comments.
Old Spice’s “Muscle Music” video campaign generated 7.3 million views within the first week of airing; more than 11,000 people engaged with its interactive component.
Trusted method
It seems that a more modern, interactive approach, often combined with a hint of humor, is an especially effective method of engaging male consumers online.
By adding another level to the advertising, be it on an interactive platform or via a mini series of videos, it engages and encourages the male consumer to connect with the content, with the idea that it then aligns the brand with positive reinforcement.