last word

Marketing to men

John Gray made a lot of money when he published his 1992 best seller, “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.” That was then, however, and this is now. So how, in today’s Internet-connected world, do you market to men?

Here’s how several media- and marketing-savvy experts recently answered that question:

RESEARCH TOOL

“Women are more likely to share, interact, and recommend a brand, while men use marketing more functionally for research.”

— Rachel Resnick, Morpheus Media

FAST AND FUN

“Men value entertainment, but make sure it represents the brand. [They] spent less time on sites, so they need to be grabbed quickly with a short brand message.”

— Susi Tully, Inflexion Interactive

SEEKING SOLUTIONS

Men want to see solutions via digital advertising and marketing. “Marketing to men needs to be more direct. It is about selling a solution with examples and a backstory.”

— Dave Surgan, luxurydaily.com

INFORMATION VS. INFLUENCE

“Men discover things online on their own, while women can be influenced by their friends.”

— John Casey, freshfluff.com

SEARCH STRATEGIES

“While women usually search online by designer and use e-commerce like an online catalog, men do it more by product. Men can be very utilitarian in the way they use the Internet, going straight to the point and leaving little time for discovering new things or ideas.”

— Raffaello Napoleone, Pitti Immagini Uomo

SHOPPERS, NOT BROWSERS

“Men don’t shop; they buy. Men spend 30 percent less time browsing online than women, viewing fewer pages before purchasing, which shows why online shopping is the perfect solution for them.”

— Federico Marchetti, Yoox Group

CLASSIC APPEAL

“There is a male-shopping DNA. They do not change their styles as much as women. It’s a more classic approach.”

— Barbara Bisoni, Tod’s New York

COLOR ME…
A look by category at Color Solutions International’s top 2013 men’s runway colors MEN’S BASICS: Gray, winter white, camel, and chocolate. COOL COLORS: Loden and blue spruce, followed in popularity by three blues—delft, cobalt, and ink. WARM TONES: Dried rose, raisin, Bordeaux, red, rust, gingerbread, as well as yellow.