Advertisers try new ways to always get their man

Theresa Howard
USA Today

CANNES, France -- Men. Who needs them?

Marketers with stuff to sell them, that's who.

But men are notoriously hard for advertisers to find -- at least the young, single ones coveted for their disposable income and trend setting.

Young men with no family responsibilities have money to burn for products such as video games, cars, fast food, beer, apparel, electronics, sports gear and personal-care items. And more are staying single longer. Half of U.S. men in their late 20s are single, vs. 20% in 1970, says Rose Cameron, director of planning at ad agency Leo Burnett.

"The worst word for these guys is responsibility," Cameron says. "They are going back to their primal selves and the little boy inside and enjoying themselves as much as they can. What that means is they are open season for discretionary income."

That has made marketing to men a hot area for advertisers these days -- and a hot topic this week at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, the annual weeklong gathering of the world's leaders in the industry. On Wednesday, Leo Burnett executives will present "Metros vs. Retros: Are Marketers Missing Real Men?" The seminar explores masculinity across the globe and ways marketers might be better able to reach young males.

One thing marketers agree on about today's young Turks is that their world is increasingly digital. That means advertisers must not only tailor messages to young men's sensibilities, they also must creatively use digital media forms to reach them. But there's a bonus awaiting the marketer who strikes a chord online: The guys themselves will spread the news about the message on the Web -- known as viral marketing.

"Marketers can leverage their power through digital media," Cameron says.

How some marketers are trying to catch a man:

*Get them often. Axe marketers see these young men as multimedia consumers. So the top-selling deodorant brand in the world is mixing a website and ads with targeted TV commercials, such as on MTV, and even an Axe video game (mojomastergame.com) that launched online Monday. Players get points for using seduction tools to pick up women. "This consumer target ... may be watching TV, but he also has his computer on, he's chatting to friends, playing a video game. Multiple things are happening," says Esther Lem, head of brand development for Unilever Deodorant.

*Get them early. Volvo last year created the S40, its first entry-level premium car. It was the year's best seller for a brand whose typical buyer has been 35 and older. "We are trying to get people in their first real job and their first real car who want something to show for that success," says Tim Ellis, global advertising director. "It can rejuvenate your brand to have young people driving your car and talking about your car."

*Get them to wear your pants. Levi's, which had been focusing much of its marketing on women and low-rise pants, has homed in on men in the past year with TV ads and Web films.

A recent TV ad showed a young man returning to his ex-girlfriend's apartment with flowers -- not to make up, just to get his favorite jeans back. A Web film shows a young man overwhelmed by "metrosexual" trends in male grooming, fashion and even coffee choices. In the end, he simplifies his life by donning a pair of traditional Levi's.