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Marketing to Men - UK - February 2020

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
The male population is greying
Figure 1: Trends in the age structure of the UK male population, 2014-24
More and more younger men are living on their own
Financial confidence among over-65 males high going into the New Year
Most men in the UK are overweight
The consumer
Sports the number one interest
Figure 2: Men’s top hobbies and interests, October 2019
Men likely to turn to online resources for health advice
Figure 3: Where men would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
Men most want to be seen by others as trustworthy and friendly
Figure 4: Characteristics men hope to be associated with by others, October 2019
Musical art forms the most attractive for men
Figure 5: Men’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, Correspondence Analysis, October 2019
Men want to be included in the gender equality discussion
Figure 6: Men’s attitudes towards gender and gender equality, October 2019
A sizeable minority of men would boycott a brand using gender stereotypes
Figure 7: Men’s attitudes towards gender stereotypes and gender politics in advertising, October 2019
Most men are eager to test out new brands
Figure 8: Categories men indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, October 2019
Pricing and trust possible barriers for food and drink start-ups
Figure 9: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
Advertising central to the discovery of new products
Figure 10: Sources of information for new food, drink and beauty and grooming products, October 2019
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Men’s love of sports can be used to inspire them to live healthier lives
The facts
The implications
Men and the feminist voice in society and advertising
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Over-55s the fastest-growing segment of the male population
Living alone increasingly common among younger men
The average age of first-time dads hits another new high
Two in five working aged men are self-employed
Half of all over-65 males described their finances as ‘healthy’
Men of healthy weight in the minority
ASA now enforcing new rules banning harmful gender stereotyping
MARKET DRIVERS
Demographic factors
The greying of the UK male population
Figure 11: Trends in the age structure of the UK male population, 2014-24
More men are living on their own
Figure 12: Proportions of one-person households, by age and gender, UK, 2019
Average age of first-time dads continues to rise
Figure 13: Standardised mean age of mother and father by year, England and Wales, 2009-18
Economic factors
Male employment currently at healthy levels
Figure 14: Employment and unemployment for UK men aged 16 years and older, August-October 2009-August-October 2019
19% of working age men are self-employed
Over a third of men describe their financial situation as healthy
Figure 15: Financial situation amongst men, by age, December 2019
Financial confidence is highest among older men
Men’s health
Majority of UK men are overweight
Figure 16: Proportion of men aged 16+ who are overweight or obese, by region, 2019
Regulation
ASA begins to enforce a controversial ban on gender stereotypes
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Sport the most common interest amongst men
Over-55s prove the keenest of travellers
Tech plays a key role in health in advice for men
Most men want to be regarded as trustworthy and friendly
Musical art forms are the most appealing for men
Men want to be included in the gender equality conversation
Most men are keen to try out new brands
The right mix of new and old food and drink brands key for retailers
Support for new brands is strong, but pricing and trust possible barriers
Advertising vital in the discovery of new products
Social media an important resource for under-35s
MEN’S HOBBIES AND INTERESTS
Sports prove most common area of interest...
Figure 17: Men’s top hobbies and interests, October 2019
…while health/exercise falls some way down the list
Sports as an avenue to normalising healthy living habits
The more relatable the campaign the better
Targeting the travel interests of the over-55s
Figure 18: Proportion of men who include “travel” as amongst their main hobbies/interests, by age, October 2019
SOURCES OF HEALTH ADVICE 
Health websites a key resource across all categories
Figure 19: Where men would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
Use of health apps and social media strongly skewed towards under-35s
Figure 20: Proportion who would consider using social media or health apps for health advice, by age, October 2019
Men commonly use multiple resources
Figure 21: Repertoire analysis on where men would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
Standing out from the crowd via social media
HOW MEN WANT TO BE PERCEIVED BY OTHERS
Men overwhelmingly want to be seen as trustworthy and friendly…
Figure 22: Characteristics men hope to be associated with by others, October 2019
…with this at odds with how men are usually portrayed in advertising
Over-the-top aspirational ads could start to face regulatory scrutiny
Younger men are still more likely to be swayed by fashion-focused self-expression
Figure 23: Selected characteristics men hope to be associated with by others, by age, October 2019
Tapping into the over-55s’ love of family
ENGAGEMENT WITH DIFFERENT ART FORMS  
Musical art forms hold the most appeal to men…
Figure 24: Men’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, Correspondence Analysis, October 2019
Figure 25: Men’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, October 2019
…while other forms of art are less widely relatable
The new “Renaissance man”
Figure 26: Proportion of men who consider selected art forms to be “Engaging”, by age, October 2019
ATTITUDES TOWARDS GENDER
For many men, gender equality is about improvements for both genders
Figure 27: Men’s attitudes towards gender and gender equality, October 2019
Changes in society resulting in the need for a more balanced approach
ATTITUDES TOWARDS GENDER IN ADVERTISING 
Half of men think advertising has become too focused on gender politics
Figure 28: Men’s attitudes towards gender stereotypes and gender politics in advertising, October 2019
Most men believe they are just as likely to be stereotyped as women
Men want ads that depict diversity in an authentic way
Figure 29: Men’s attitudes towards diversity in advertising, October 2019
EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW BRANDS 
Men are unafraid to try out new brands
Figure 30: Categories men indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, October 2019
Tapping into men’s interest in food and drink
Financial risks put off experimentation in tech category
Men under 35 the most willing to try out new brands
Figure 31: Categories men indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, by age, October 2019
Appealing to older men still possible if the message is on point
ATTITUDES TOWARDS FOOD AND DRINK START-UPS
Men are excited by new brands and welcome the added variety…
Figure 32: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
…but overabundance nearly always leads to confusion
Support for new brands is strong, but cost and trust are potential issues
Figure 33: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
New brands need to prove their worth to overcome any scepticism
Smaller brands are in a better position to stress authenticity
SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR NEW PRODUCTS 
Advertising key for men when discovering new products
Figure 34: Sources of information for new food, drink and beauty and grooming products, October 2019
Friends and family influential in spreading word about new foods
Social media an important resource for men under 35
Figure 35: Social media as an information source for new products, by category and age, October 2019
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
Methodology

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