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Targeting Men? Keep the Differences Between the Sexes in Mind

Wednesday, Apr 21, 2010

Michelle OBrien

 

Today’s entry in the ‘obvious statements’ department is “men and women are different.” While that’s a surprise to no one, the differences have real implications on how marketers can effectively appeal to men.

According to marketing firm Brain Sells (via MarketingVox), men live in the ‘now.’ They want to get things started and get things finished. They also want to look good, which means looking strong, confident, authoritative and adventurous. Women, on the other hand, focus on ‘hope and details,’ and want how they look to reflect their inner being.

So what does all this mean to marketers? Brain Sells offers these things to keep in mind while trying to reach men:

  • Men are not browsers, they want what they want now and they tend to hone in quickly on what they’re looking for.
  • Men tend to tightly focus their awareness. They are linear,  visually-oriented and create ‘absolute distinctions:’ black-white, yes-no. They prefer individual items over ensembles.
  • Men value individuality and self-reliance, and thinks of other people as competition. “A man focuses on himself – the ‘me,’ while a woman is focused on the ‘we.’”

So what to you think? Do you have accounts that target men, and do you agree with these tips? Let us know in the comments section

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  • http://cablevisionadsales.com Barbara Barbieri

    Before turning to sales I was a Human Resources Director, focusing on employment and benefits. I hire and trained a large sales staff, and I was trained and certified in personality testing. We looked for particular criteria. Interestingly, the individual you describe in your article describes what we called “Dominant” traits…those traits most often seen in the self employed, executives, those in riskly occupations. Not the ideal for sales, by the way. On the face of things you would imagine that these traits describe most men. Actually, many women possess these same traits, myself included.

    I would tend to agree with your statements but you should caution that the stereotype you describe is not always the rule.

  • http://www.admall.com Michelle OBrien

    Great comment, Barbara. I nearly put in the post that these weren’t necessarily ‘my’ opinions! I do agree that many of the traits listed would apply to dominant personalities of either sex.

    Brain Sells is the creation of Dr. Robert Deutsch, a cognitive anthropologist, who appears to have a pretty extensive background in anthropology and media studies. There are some interesting pieces on the Web site, if you’re interested in his other ‘insights.’ http://www.brain-sells.com/articles.php