We know that the car won’t make the man, but it turns out that it may make him manlier. That’s according to a recent Canadian study, at least, which found varying endocrinological responses depending on the type of car given to young male motorists, as reported in the Ottawa Citizen. As part of the study, male college students, with a median age of 24.7, were given an hour to drive an expensive sports car or a broken-in sedan, with half the allotted time spent in the city and the rest on a highway. (more…)
Ray Smith of The Wall Street Journal reports that after years of catering to women, bed makers are ‘manning up.’ While women have historically been the primary decision makers among bed-buyers, the bed industry, now wants to turn their attention to men.
The industry is basing their new strategy on the success of the ‘bigger-is-better’ mantra propagated by electronics manufacturers, which appeals to men’s most fundamental desire for all things super-sized, such as giant-screen TVs, surround sound music studios and home theaters, as well as other “man cave” furnishings . According to Mr. Smith, “The hope: the new ‘man cave’ is the bed.” (more…)
After years of featuring professional football players—and their moms—in ad campaigns, Campbell’s Chunky line of soups is ditching the trenches of the playing turf for the shipyards, quarries, and farms of blue-collar labor. (more…)
A recent New York Times story singled out Nivea for Men, Axe, and Old Spice as three of the trailblazers in the growing male body wash market. While the brands each hope to reach male consumers, they have sought to attract men through divergent platforms, either through multi-functionality—Nivea for Men Active 3 is a body wash, shampoo, and shaving gel—or as a means to increased sex appeal.
The category for these men’s products is growing more quickly than women’s or unisex, and the Times reports that, according to Mintel, the liquid body soap market grew to $733 million in 2008 from $480 million in 2003. Revenue is projected to top $1 billion in 2013. (more…)
