Secrets of the Male Shopper

Great article in the BWOnline archive on the topic of targeting males in your marketing.

Advertising to men falls into more than the two cliched columns of the Metrosexual (fashion and 'product' obsessed) and the Retrosexual (sports and beer obsessed) -- the cliches only account for about %5 of the male population on the extreme edges of the spectrum. Here's how you reach the rest.

The best ideas from the article?

• Appeal to their inner-geek
  Think Dyson vacuums and Bugaboo's new stroller
• Allow for Advertiser-Activism
  Today's males want to interact with their brands -- Just look at all the parody ads on YouTube
• Not just Quick-Buyers -- They are Browsers
  Men under 35 shop more like their sisters than their grandfathers
• Provide Content Camouflage
  Men's Health, Stuff, and Maxim -- all male mags, BUT -- two in every five pages pitch products. They are masks for men to shop without opening themselves to ridicule from their beer-buddies
• Make 'em Comfortable
  Most men might feel a bit out of place at salons and unisex spas -- but add alcohol and ESPN while they wait in queue for their pedicures and manicures, call it a "Grooming Lounge", and you just might have a $4-million dollar business like Washington DC's Michael Gilman and Pirooz Sarshar

Click to read the full article.

How/Why Consumers Share Info

ShareThis.com has just completed an extensive study on sharing with Forrester Research. Forrester and ShareThis, teamed up to find out what and how people are sharing information online with one another. The study, which will be released next week, provides some interesting statistics around how people share online information --

• 69% of adults cite email as the primary source of sharing information
• Less than 1/3 of online adults said they learned about the new content from shared content sources such as YouTube, a wiki, or social networking sites
• 84% of people still use the traditional cut and paste method to share a URL or information
• 81% of adults claim that they share to help others -- believing a person will benefit from the information they share
• Sharing increases site traffic 2x, thus increasing ad dollars or revenue for publishers
• Men are more likely to share recommendations and videos than women; 77% of adult males and 74% of younger males shared news and web links
• Women are more likely to share products or ideas they like via easy or direct sharing methods (ie texting.)

You can read the full press release here.

Alltel 'My Circle' Huddles-up with NFL

From PromoXtra:
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Alltel Brings 'My Celebrity Circle' to NFL
Wireless phone provider Alltel is launching an integrated marketing campaign this month to tout its "My Circle" feature for users. The campaign includes a contest and celebrity endorsements by high-profile NFL receivers.

"My Circle" allows Alltel Wireless customers to get unlimited free calls to and from the 10 phone numbers that matter most to them any time of day or night. "My Circle" numbers can be any combination of wireless, home and office numbers located anywhere in the United States, regardless of local phone company or wireless carrier. These 10 numbers are in addition to customers' mobile-to-mobile calling community and do not require a special handset.
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You may recall seeing the clever Alltel television commercials incorporating lookalikes of spokespeople for each of the major cellular carriers in an effort to illustrate that Alltel's My Circle feature allows free calls to friends no matter which mobile service they use.

With Alltel's intent to promote this feature using NFL players, it certainly opens the door for advertising and promotional opportunities with The Fan.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• A campaign that uses all the on-air personalities to show they can use MyCircle no communicate matter which airshift they work.
• How about a college player based version of the same NFL campaign? Mary B. has a client that is trying to promote former-Buckeye players, perhaps the MyCircle extends to linking players no matter which year they played?
• This can also be applied to Mix -- what if the sports celebs were musicians? My Circle crosses barriers of different record labels? Signed vs. Unsigned artists?

Networks Tout Fall Shows Via Web

From Promo Xtra:
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In an effort to promote the new fall line-up, broadcast networks are turning to the Internet to give viewers a taste of what's to come.

AOL has teamed up with Warner Bros. Television and NBC to feature online premiums of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Twenty Good Years before the shows air this month. The shows will be available at AOL.com/television one week before the network broadcast. The Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode launched yesterday and Twenty Good Years rolls out Oct. 4.
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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• With so many shows trying to appeal specifically to male or female viewers, our stations have the perfect individual audiences to which to preview the new fall tv season.
• Why not offer the shows via streaming video from a special TV page on our site(s)?
• Streaming videos could certainly carry a short preroll promoting the network on which the show appears (perfect for the promo requests we get from WWHO and FOX -- and a helluva a lot better than a moldy 'watch and win' contest!)
• The preview page could also offer a ratings-based feedback system to allow visitors to weigh in on what they think of the individual show (1-star = bad... 4-stars = good.)
• Our listeners feel special because they are getting a 'sneak peek' from the station, and the previews are perceived as CONTENT instead of ADVERTISING.

Jeep to Muddy Up Consumers at State Fair

Consumers desperately searching through a three-foot-deep pool of slushy, slippery mud to find sticks may drive home a new Jeep. It's the brand's latest stunt to engage consumers and get them digging for a chance to win the grand prize.

On Sept. 29, the start of the State Fair of Texas, up to 120 randomly selected consumers who register at JeepStickInTheMudChallenge.com will participate in the Jeep Stick in the Mud Challenge to win the brand's first four-door Jeep Wrangler.
As reported in PromoXtra By Andrew Scott

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Columbus has very active/passionate Classic Car content
• Concept for presence at Ohio State Fair? Tailgate?
• Doesn't have to be 'muddy' -- what about Hummers? Lambos? VW?
• Keep economy cars running around a track to see who gets the best gas mileage?
• Could you do it with motorcycles? Bicycles? Running shoes?

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Secrets of the Male Shopper

Great article in this past week's BWOnline on the topic of targeted males in your marketing. Advertising to men falls into more than the two cliched columns of the Metrosexual (fashion and 'product' obsessed) and the Retrosexual (sports and beer obsessed) -- they only account for about 5% of the male population on either side of the spectrum.

Here's how you reach the rest.

---
VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Appeal to their inner-geek
  Think Dyson vacuums and Bugaboo's new stroller
  
• Allow for Advertiser-Activism
  Today's males want to interact with their brands -- Just look at all the parody ads on YouTube
  
• Not just Quick-Buyers -- They are Browsers
  Men under 35 shop more like their sisters than their grandfathers
  
• Provide Content Camouflage
  Men's Health, Stuff, and Maxim -- all male mags, BUT -- two in every five pages pitch products. They are masks for men to shop without opening themselves to ridicule from their beer-buddies
  
• Make 'em Comfortable
  Most men might feel a bit out of place at salons and unisex spas -- but add alcohol and ESPN while they wait in queue for their pedicures and manicures, call it a "Grooming Lounge", and you just might have a $4-million dollar business like Washington DC's Michael Gilman and Pirooz Sarshar