MediaPost | Engage:Men

Outdoor Sports - Hunting & Fishing - Meet The Digital Future

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:20:03 -0400

When a bidding war recently broke out over it, we started thinking about the future of the Outdoor Channel, a channel that obviously resonates and is popular with men. But, beyond the Outdoor Channel, what's happening with technology and outdoor sports -- hunting, fishing, etc.?

Go Ahead, Man, Lean In

Thu, 09 May 2013 11:17:02 -0400

It's one of our cultural paradoxes that women's issues tend to be treated as a discrete subject that affects only half the population. And, while many men have probably heard about the hoopla surrounding Sheryl Sandberg's book, "Lean In," it seems that very few have read it. An informal survey of 20 of my male colleagues found that zero men had read the book, and none planned to.

When Marketing To Men, Respect Women

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:35:02 -0400

First, let me say bravo to my friends at Unilever for once again setting the standard by further elevating female self esteem in their latest brilliant Dove (a Unilever brand) Real Beauty Sketches campaign.

This May Not Be Your Father's TV, But You Should Still Keep The Recliner

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:10:02 -0400

If you listen to the TV and advertising industries' pundits, appointment TV is over. There are a few event TV opportunities each year - the Super Bowl, the Oscars, the Grammys, maybe the MTV Music Awards, and that's it, according these pundits. Otherwise, TV is a morass of niche audiences, and most viewers aren't even watching because they're intent on texting, tweeting, and "like"ing during the episodes.

Only 28 Articles About Bacon Left To Write -- And Then We're Done!

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:55:02 -0400

As everybody with an Internet connection knows, bacon is the most wondrous and delectable thing ever to appear on the face of this planet. It's the universal sandwich solvent, the salt lick of kings. For a sponsor who wants to engage men through digital content, but doesn't want girls or sports, bacon has been the go-to meme as far back as anyone can remember. It's positively fatty with versatility: It's been weaved into underwear, it flavors dental floss, it makes you smarter and cures hangovers. Et cetera, et cetera.

How Should Brands Deal With A Crisis? Order A Pizza

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:10:02 -0400

What could make rushing to the airport, waiting in an endless security line, disrobing for a TSA pat-down, jamming your luggage into an overstuffed overhead storage bin, shoehorning yourself into a too-small seat, and spending several hours next to a chatty political junkie with a wet cough even worse?

March Madness Or Marketing Madness? Why NCAA Tournament Is Holy Grail of Marketing

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:00:04 -0400

As everyone knows, March Madness, the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Championship, has turned into a marketing bonanza. This is particularly good news for both TV and online video. Appointment viewing night after night, and this year's Tournament offers viewers more options than ever before - i.e. TV, TV Everywhere on multiple devices, apps for Google Play, Apple's iOS, live streaming on laptops/desktops, etc.

Calling Bullshit: Our New National Pastime

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:05:20 -0400

It's 2010, and LeBron James sits on a stool in a room full of children ready to announce "The Decision" live on ESPN. Every narrative says he's staying in Cleveland: local boy, best player of his generation, beloved in the community, backed by a solid team and a popular new coach. Why would he get on TV just to break his fans' hearts?

Guys Hate Shopping And These Brands Get It

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:25:11 -0500

Searching the aisles for the special deal and standing in checkout lines is not a guy's favorite pastime. It's no surprise that men don't like to shop and very much find many elements associated with retail highly frustrating.

What Is The Secret Of Effective Page Posts?

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:29:15 -0500

Remember the old adage? If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Consider the adage when you apply it to your Facebook strategy.

Why Zynga Won't Get My Dollar

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:28:26 -0500

I've been playing Scramble With Friends pretty much since the day it launched, because-well, because I'm a word nerd. Endlessly fascinated by the human history petrified in the words and phrases that survive from earlier times. Did you know we started saying "Bless you" after a sneeze to scare off the Black Plague? That "malaria" is from medieval Italian for "bad air," because the ancient Romans thought you caught it from the stench around swamps?

The Most Genius (And Overlooked) 2013 Super Bowl Advertiser

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:54:00 -0500

Super Bowl Sunday is a day that can turbo-boost creative directors' careers and bring new clients to advertising agencies, keeping them flush with cash for years. It is the only live televised event in the world where the TiVo stays off, and people don't run to the bathroom during commercials. It's like the Oscars of the advertising industry.

Real Men Will be Wearing Aprons AND Jerseys on Super Bowl Sunday

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:05:58 -0500

My gear is ready for Super Bowl Sunday. I've got my team jersey on standby, and my apron, too.

Dust Off Your Side Projects, It's The Year Of The Maker

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:34:18 -0500

A new year often means new beginnings and resolutions. For men in 2013, it is going to bring in a new era. While men used to be beholden to honey-do lists, this year men will embark on their own projects and use them as a time to exercise their masculinity. A couple of months ago, I wrote about men seeking and embracing small adventures to get in their "guy time." Expanding on that, men are now shepherding a new wave of homegrown projects earmarked as "guy only" pastimes.

What The Rolling Stones Can Teach Us About Aging

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:20:33 -0500

As a young 2013 begins to kick and scream and grow, let's take a look at a brand that's aging gracefully: the Rolling Stones.

2013 Is The Year The World Really Ends! Half a Dozen Times Or So

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:08:35 -0500

At some point last year, you probably heard the troubling news that, according to a calendar the Maya created thousands of years ago, the world was going to end on Dec. 21. Well, in case you didn't get a chance to read the paper on the 22nd, the world did not end on the 21st. And in all fairness to the Maya, they didn't actually predict the end of the world on the 21st. That was just the date on which their calendar happened to reach the end of a 5,000+ year cycle ... which it then started all over again on the 22nd. Sort of like a Mesoamerican version of Y2K.

Reflections On 2012, Looking Ahead To 2013

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:48:00 -0500

The end of the year brings both reflection and the need to look ahead. After writing for, and religiously following the other Engage:Men posts throughout this year, I decided to use this post to think about the gestalt of the year's conversations. Short and sweet.

Any Given Holiday -- A 10-Point Shopping Strategy For Retailers Looking For Customers On Facebook

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 06:19:56 -0500

What's the best way for retailers to engage men? We hear this question often and the answer is always the same-it depends on your goal.

Why I'm Not Sharing Your Delightful Content (Or Begging You To Share Mine)

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:10:30 -0500

You're goofing off at work, minding your own business, watching baby ducks master a treadmill or whatever the time-waster video of the moment is. Suddenly, in bursts a breathless email from an acquaintance with something he's shamelessly shilling. "Please like and retweet and share this to your networks! Digg it and favorite it to your friends and followers, and vote it up and pin it and +1 it and comment!"

Brands Improve Targeting This Holiday Season

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:16:31 -0500

Most men grind it out five days a week in their office cranking out TPS Reports but apparently, they spend a ton of time doing other things, too -- like shopping.

Guy-Commerce: How They Shop This Holiday Season

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:25:00 -0500

As the holiday shopping season is in full gear, men around the country are stressing about what and how to buy gifts for their loved ones. For many guys, the holiday shopping season is filled with excitement and anxiety as well as some new tricks to ease the process.

Behind The Moustache And The Man In Movember

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:01:37 -0500

I never had any desire to grow out my moustache. Sure, like most every Gen X guy, I've had a couple rounds of goatees through the years (thank you, Spike Lee), sported some long sideburns (thank you, Brandon and Dylan on "90210"), and even attempted the short beard (I have only myself to blame). But moustaches have always seemed a relic that was better left to the sepia-toned trash heap of men's history, like snuff or the things dudes were doing on the sides of Grecian urns. It always seemed like a good idea to just let moustaches fade away.

Is Yours A 'Mad Men' Brand In A 'Modern Family' World?

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 05:17:42 -0500

If the recent election proved anything, it's that you don't win when you appeal to only one part of your audience. Admittedly, I am speaking in generalities, but there's no arguing whom the Republicans won (older white males with traditional values) and whom they lost.

Can The Way To His Heart Now Be Through Mobile?

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:55:35 -0500

With Mobile Internet usage ramping up substantially faster than desktop Internet usage did over the past 3 years, we will see mobile data traffic increase by almost 4,000% by 2014, for a cumulative annual growth rate of more than 100%. And we are now beginning to see hard evidence of this trend with Facebook. Average time spent accessing Facebook via smartphone in the United States was 441 minutes in March, compared with 391 minutes via desktop, according to comScore. And, this trend in time spent on mobile will surely continue as new iPhone 5's, iPad Mini's, Galaxy Tablets, Microsoft's Surface and myriad other mobile devices flood the market.

I Know Exactly What To Wear Today

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:11:59 -0500

I consider myself a "guy's guy." I watch sports almost exclusively, play poker once a week (when my wife lets me), eat as many chicken wings as I can in a sitting and wear shorts and a t-shirt whenever possible. But something in me changed these past few years and I've noticed it's a trend amongst men; I'm caring more about how I look and what I wear. And I don't just mean during the week. I'm talking about all the time.

To Attract Men, Be Attractive to Men

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:37:06 -0400

If you believe what you read, you surely think men are facing a "crisis in masculinity," and that, in 50 years, we really will "all be chicks." I don't buy it. Instead, the definition of masculinity in contemporary American society is simply evolving (and, rest assured, will stay tied to more traditionally masculine norms than in many parts of the world).

It's Raining Men ... Or Is It?

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:10:02 -0400

You can ask just about anyone on the street about men and you'll get just about as many varied responses as there are hours in the day. For example, there are the 5 Types of Men Every Women Wants and the 5 Types of Men Every Woman Should Avoid. There's also the 18 Types of Men You Should Date Before Getting Married and this Handy Guide to All Gay Men, too.

Small Adventures Are Where Men Go To Be Men

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:31:05 -0400

Men are being totally emasculated in our society today, aren't we? Even manly men like Adam Corolla are admitting it. Earlier this year he wrote a book, In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks. He gives guys a hard time about their blurred gender roles and poses a lot of questions about where men are headed. Check out what he says in these quotes from the book. Major media outlets like the broadcast networks see it, too. They now green-light shows like "Happy Endings" and "The New Girl," where guys are nice and polite and aren't out for only that one thing.

What Happened To 'Maxim'?

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 05:50:29 -0400

This month, Maxim magazine announced its first-ever drop in rate base, the paid circulation it guarantees advertisers. The former titan of the men's category took a 20% hit, from 2.5 million to 2.0 million. That's a big deal in magazines, where downscaling the rate base is avoided like the last third of a "Godfather" marathon.

'You're Looking Mansome Today'

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:15:16 -0400

Recently, I watched Morgan Spurlock's "Mansome." It was part lesson on the history of men's grooming, part study of extreme behaviors, and part funny guys poking fun. What was most striking to me though was the contrast between the attitudes of contemporary men at two ends of a spectrum. On one end are those obsessively focused on their appearance; on the other, those who see almost any grooming not directed at sexual conquest as an un-masculine indulgence.