Category: MARKETING TO MEN

The fact that many companies have begun allowing men to take paternity leaves is a telling sign of men’s involvement in the household. And their evolution. Anisha Motwani, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance, feels that while there are men who would be thrilled today to have a daughter, as much they would be with a son; but at the same time issues of rape and honour killing perplex her and force her to question the evolution of the Indian male. In an interview with MxMIndia, Ms Motwani talks about the changing Indian male and how marketers are viewing this change. Excerpts: 

 

One often deliberates about the evolution of Indian woman in the last one decade – have the men too not evolved

If you look at India with all its disparities and regional differences, it’s very difficult to make a sweeping generalisation that men have evolved.

 

Rape, dowry, honour killing and preference for a male child – we have enough and more evidence to suggest that men haven’t moved an inch as far in the past many decades. But when you look at urban cities in parts, both small town and metros, you see a different picture. Evolution by definition means, a better way to survive and adapt to the changing environment. When this changing environment involves more women working, financially independent, aspiring for all kinds of careers, I’d say that certain men have adapted faster to this than others. And those who have, are better; the rest, just bitter.

 

Today, more and more fathers are as thrilled to have a daughter, as they would be with a son. There is no difference in treatment, when it comes to giving the girl child the best education, securing her future or providing her all the material comforts.

 

On a different note, men have made notable strides on the personal grooming front.

 

Are marketers ignoring men due to easy accessibility to women as buyers and influencers?

On the contrary, marketers are looking at men as the hot new potential segment to go after.

 

Emami, which claims to have a 58 per cent share of men’s fairness cream market, is gunning for a 30 per cent increase in sales of its Fair & Handsome brand,

 

Most personal care brands targeting men are innovating and spicing up products with extra features like sweat control, sun prevention, oil control and dark spot reduction. Even five years ago, who would have thought that men cared for these features.

 

One fitness brand alone, Talwalkars is present in 70 cities, with over 132,000 members. Madura Fashion and Lifestyle depends primarily on men to keep its apparel brands going.

 

Given that men are more on the move, are as social as women, and are digitally connected, there are enough opportunities to reach and engage them, that marketers are leveraging.

 

Segmenting men based on SEC, and town class – how do they differ in their aspirations, values and social needs

There are certain characteristics that are SEC-agnostic,  such as aspiring to climb up the social and material ladder.

 

In our own category, life insurance, we have seen differences in men’s appetite for taking risks when it comes to their money, but not necessarily SEC/town-wise differences.

 

How has the man’s role in the family changed/evolved?

While a stay-at-home dad is not a reality yet, men have evolved from being only an economic provider to also an emotional one. They have begun to be more sensitive to the needs of their spouses and families, more so in nuclear families.

 

While every man hasn’t turned a proud cook yet, it is heartening to see rising male interest in cooking being promoted through shows like Masterchef India. Even with the latest Junior Masterchef season, to see young boys actively engaged and bragging about foods and kitchen tools, is a sign of an evolving society.

 

Lux used Shah Rukh Khan in an ad – would you say even for small ticket items men are a target audience – though secondary?

Long before men-specific fairness lotions were out, men were already a secondary target audience.

 

Today, if you were to visit any hypermarket /supermarket on a weekend, you’d discover a lot of men accompanying their spouses, kids for household shopping.

 

So for categories like personal care or packaged food, they obviously are worth looking at.

 

Can men across the geographies be reached through same/similar marketing strategies?

It totally depends on the category in question. An insurance brand can adopt a common strategy across geographies, as it talks to the responsible, family man. However, a soft drink brand that appeals to the raw masculinity and action, could use regional celebrities to strengthen brand preference.

 

Would you say men are getting more individualistic – thus making targeting them via mass media difficult?

I think most marketers talking to men have managed to focus on core needs that appeal to men of different geographies, castes and economic profile, (such as the need for power, one-upmanship, success, need to be entertained). Focus on these, has ensured that mass media continues to be relevant.

 

Is platform-agnostic content facilitation the solution for media owners?

Not necessarily. While a gym brand can be platform agnostic, and focus on fitness and health-related content everywhere, a technology brand may not. Lenovo, for instance, may choose to focus on features and competitive pricing in one medium, while sharing cases of inspiring people who do in another.

 

The key is to look at the men’s relationship with the category and see if different platforms can be differently to appeal to the rational and emotional sides of men.

 

Men make great chefs. There was never any doubt about that. But it’s only lately that they’ve started getting into the kitchen – commended to be the domain of women – at home and often lending a helping hand to the ladies at home. Marketers are not oblivious to this change and are even encouraging them to don the apron more often. New Zealand-based kitchen appliances maker, Fisher & Paykel, that largely operates in the luxury space, was launched in India in December 2011 and was quick to acknowledge the evolution of the Indian male by introducing the ‘Men in the Kitchen’ concept. It helps if you hand over a gadget to them. Technology, is something men like to play with. Sanjeev Wadhwa, Country Manager – Fisher & Paykel India, tells MxMIndia, more about the company’s strategy and the evolution of the Indian male. Excerpts:

 

What was the insight behind launching the ‘Men in the Kitchen’ concept?

Before we get into the evolution of men, we have to understand the evolution of the kitchen. The kitchen has moved from the back of the house where cooking was a chore, to the centre of the home where cooking is about creativity and sociability. The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where we cook and prepare food for our families, help kids with their homework and entertain friends. It has become a makeshift office, a place we perch when a friend arrives, where parties inevitably seem to congregate and where we create culinary feasts. Our kitchens now communicate how we live as much as how we cook.

 

With the advent of so many cooking shows, people are now willing to experiment with food at home and everyone is chipping in. The weekends/holidays are becoming social time where men want to have an ego boost by showcasing their culinary skills amongst friends and families.

 

Is it just the ego or boost that the man is looking for?

When a woman cooks at home, it is generally a lunch or dinner and when a man cooks, it triggers applause. At home, all through the week, it is the woman, who is churning out daily chores and trying to please her children and spouse with dishes of their choices. So we thought, why not keep a woman’s day out – and let men cook for their wives. Men believe that they have the technique, discipline and passion that makes cooking consistently an art. Fisher & Paykel (F&P) gave them an opportunity to showcase their skills.

 

What makes men’s cooking an art?

When women cook, it is expected. When a man takes the mantle it becomes an event, Why? I strongly believe that women are better cooks and they create dishes with love and passion, whereas boys love toys… the gadgets and appliances. They are fascinated by technology. F&P believes in creating fun evenings with F&P Social Kitchen. The Social Kitchen underpins our design philosophy in developing flexible appliances that can be distributed throughout your kitchen and tailored to your individual lifestyle and needs.

 

What are the products that have been launched under the concept?

The Social Kitchen is more than a single event. The Social Kitchen is an approach to design, cooking and the kitchen. By interacting with people who eat and cook and clean up every day, Fisher & Paykel is rethinking assumptions about kitchen design and creating appliances that will allow kitchens to be truly social. The Social Kitchen is an ongoing experience to connect people with food and design and start rethinking the kitchen.

 

How different are the products in terms of functionality and usage as compared to other products which are largely pitched at women?

The products are the same for men, women alike. But we have noticed that the built-in CoffeeMaker and the CoolDrawer are very popular with men as the same is being used in offices & conference rooms.

 

Is the pricing any different?

We do not believe in any discrimination, all prices are same across the country.

 

When it comes to marketing, how are strategies different for men than women? Does F&P look at men as a different customer segment?

With the ease of operating our appliances, the same appliances comply with all. But yes, we do strategise events for men, being labelled foodies.

 

How many of your customers are men? Or influencers in the purchase decision making?

It is the family which makes the decision, women see the design, ease & convenience of using the appliances whereas men are attracted to latest technology. They want to know about the technical details, warranty and after sales service which is very important.

 

F&P has stores in some of the metros and cities in Punjab. Is there any difference in shopping behaviour amongst men in these cities?

Men will be men from Bhatinda to Kanyakumari.

 

The brand selection of a car and its model may no longer be the exclusive prerogative of the man. It’s more of a family decision, which is based on multiple factors – brand, driveability, design, functionality, after-sales service and price. Which factor will take precedence, depends largely on who will be the primary driver – the male or the female. While women would go for functionality, men would go for driveability. These factors also decide which model will eventually be driven home. Men still prefer the SUV and most women would go for curvier designs. However, when it comes to financing and how much money the family is willing to invest into the cars, the decision is still largely commanded by the male. Sudeep Narayan, Director – Marketing & PR, Volvo Auto India, speaks to MXMIndia, on how the brand targets men differently from women, and how they are different from each other. Excerpts:

 

Your target audience may be the family, but when it comes to men, how are you segmenting the gender?

Volvo is certainly not looking at the alpha male. Our male, irrespective of age would be a sensible and responsible male. Not that the rest of the men are irresponsible or not sensible. Yet, there are car brands in the luxury category too, which exude brashness, and this is the male we are definitely not targeting. We are a family car. A sports car may be a perfect fit for the alpha male. Or for that matter an Enfield or a Harley. Our male target audience is a metrosexual man, who would listen and respect others’ opinions.

 

You are stressing on being a family car. But still when it comes to the primary driver, your communication will have to be different for both the men and the women?

The artwork may be same for both. But when it comes to body-copy, the communication differs. Say, a feature in Volvo Active Bending Lights. For a man they are high-technology lights. For a woman, it’s “I can drive home safely.” While talking to men, we will use jargon and talk in terms of degrees that the light can bend to; but while talking to women, we will talk about increased safety and the increase in vision by say 230 per cent.

 

The logic is kept in mind at the point of purchase too. We try and assess the potential customer – has he come alone, with his wife, with parents? If he’s alone, we’ll focus more on technology and driveability; if with his wife, we try and talk about the functionalities like space and comfort. The space may be told to a just the male in terms of scale units. If the man is with his parents, we do stress upon the ease of getting into and out of the car. The language has to be tweaked.

 

Coming to design, it is a given component in a Volvo. It is different from other luxury cars owing to the ethos and pedigree that goes to Scandinavia. There are brands from Scandinavia that are known for design – Ikea, Hasselblad camera, Volvo, Tertra Pak – and all have a high component of design and technology.

 

So how does a male respond to a luxury car like Volvo?

The word luxury is debatable though and is directly proportional to the affordability of the person. For someone, even a Tata Nano could a luxury. The component of a person’s income that goes into buying a Tata Nano as compared to a component of a man buying a Rolls Royce is much higher. So in that terms, Tata Nano could be a luxury.

 

Luxury would be something that distinguishes a car from the rest. For example, Bluetooth, today is in every car. Every car would have a speedometer. So are we giving them just the needle, or is it digital and what else. When it comes to men, they like to have more and upgraded technology, that’s something is given in a Volvo; and luxury is a bi-product of comfortability for us.

 

When you segment your men, do they respond differently to technology and to the possession?

The small town man isn’t concerned about how the people – friends, relatives, or neighbours will respond to the possession. For him, the show-off is in the price of the car, a fact that he owns a Rs 4 million car. But for the metro man, it’s about what all did he get in the Rs 4 million car: “Oh! You’ve got a Rs 4 million car, but does it have this feature and that feature.”

 

Do women also respond in the same way?

Women respond to jewellery in the same way and not to cars.

 

Geographically, how’s your male different?

South is more practical. Decisions are taken from the brain rather than the heart. They are less affected by the badge value and focus more on the product delivery. In the North, men care more for badge value and about how many gizmos do they have in the car – “Does the car have a WiFi? Automatic brakes?” While the benefit would appeal to both – North & South, the input from a technology point appeals to the man from the North. As for sound, the South male will be more concerned about fidelity; in  North, men would be concerned about the number of speakers and figures like 1000 Watts PMPO (Peak Music Power Output), a wattage that the human ear cannot even hear. But still, it’s a differentiating factor for them.

 

In the East, men still link back to family lineage, and their perception about a car would depend on questions like – “How sophisticated it is? How royal it is?” The design would play more importance than technology. In the West, say for example, Gujarat – one of the most affluent states, men would think of questions like – “What is the value I am getting out of the car? What would be the resale value of the car after four years?” The last question while is important for others too, but doesn’t take precedence in other regions.

 

Which brand of Volvo is picked up most by men?

It has to be XC90. It is a seven-seater luxury SUV, huge and imposing on the road. In comparison, the hatchback, V40 Cross Country, is more liked by women for its curves. But we are not consciously positioning them as cars specifically for a particular gender. We are positioning XC90 as a sturdy car. Sturdiness appeals more to men, but we wouldn’t want to spell out that it’s targeted at men.

 

How would you sum up your learning about marketing to men?

When it comes to marketing to men, most brands try to appeal to everyone. But that’s not the right approach. If someone likes to listen to Sonu Nigam, it’s unlikely that you can influence him to listen to Kishore Kumar. You might influence someone who likes Kishore Kumar to listen to Mohammad Rafi. We talk about women being different from each other, but men are also equally more different from each other. There are certain things that bind them but their thinking is quite different.

 

As a group, how are men and women different when it comes to brand choices? What binds them and what makes them different?

This is true for every category and not just automobiles. Friendship binds them, but their career options may be very different. Their choices of soft drinks could be very different, which typically amongst women would be more or less the same.

 

What would be completely different in women is fashion. “You like Gucci, I don’t like Gucci.” She has to have a Prada or Jimmy Choo instead. Whereas, amongst men, sameness of brands or colour would actually bind them and bring them together.

 

 

While men are shopping more, there is still more need to understand this behaviour. Over the next few weeks, as a part of the ‘Marketing to Men’ series, MxMIndia will try and decode how Indian marketers and brands do that

 

By A Correspondent

 

The theory that men buy, and women shop did hold truth about five years ago. The oft-quoted Wharton study, ‘Men Buy, Women Shop’ which propagated that men buy stuff as hunters and women as gatherers, is being debunked by men themselves. That the study was commissioned as back as in 2007, is further proof that the researches at Wharton’s Jay H Baker Retail, need to revisit their study. There’s enough proof that if men already haven’t arrived on the shopping spree, they are on their way at least.

 

Inherently, men have always been the big ticket purchase decision makers. Much of these big ticket purchases are made after research, deliberation and browsing. But when it comes to small ticket buys, like say the daily household needs, men tend to go by the need and rather than the want for it. We are certainly not going down into the history of evolution to decode the genetics of men but there’s enough observation now that if men are left alone and not talked down to by the salesman, they’ll pick up more stuff. That’s where the self-service formats have lent them a helping hand. According to reports, sales data from retail chains like Future Group, Aditya Birla and Spencer’s Retail, male shoppers now account for around 70 per cent of consumers, a number which was merely about 45 per cent four years ago.

 

As more women are leaving the cave and going into the jungle to hunt, men too are crossing over to don the role of the home-maker, and that does put the basket in their hands to be filled up with daily needs – vegetables, confectionery, bakery and even beauty and personal care products. Given that it’s a new found freedom for men, much of their new category purchases could be based on impulse rather driven by experience or need. Hence, the baskets could often get larger than women.

 

A recent poll into men and women’s shopping habits by UK-based disability charity, Scope, found that 89 per cent of men have items of clothing that they’ve never worn. Many commentators online view this behaviour as a trait being rubbed on from women.

 

The three big reasons for buying them in the first place are:

– For special occasions (that never happened)

– Were convinced into buying them, perhaps by a partner (when actually they really didn’t want)

– Bought garments they hoped to slim into

 

One in four men confessed to being guilty of impulse buying. Men also proved they were as drawn in by sales as women were, with 40 per cent admitting to buying clothes just because they were reduced in price or cheap.

 

So what’s fuelling this change? The self-service retail formats of course. Add to that better presentation. Marcus Jaye, Creative Director of men’s online style magazine, thechicgeek.co.uk, commenting on the survey says, “Men’s fashion has become much more experimental and challenging. The shops present it so well, with the window displays and model images, that men are lured into thinking they can replicate that.”

 

Another study, using a tool, Store Trek, by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), TNS, KiE Square and OgilvyAction, in two hypermarkets across three cities -  Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru – reveals that one in two shoppers is a male; and the affluent male with elastic wallets is buying more on impulse.

 

Dr Kamaljit Anand, MD of KiE Square in India, says, “Shopper behaviour is changing at a steep pace in India. Newer store formats especially big box modern formats and online shops are driving this change. While the latter make shoppers more adventurous and risk agnostic, the former one is a more engaging story with high stimulus environment for shoppers.”

 

No wonder that more online stores are focusing on men and with items – apparels and accessories – that traditionally have been the focus of women shopping. Men’s fashion brand, Basics Life, when it went online last year, positioned the store as ‘Shop Like a Man’. The usage of the word ‘shop’ and not ‘buy’ is acknowledgement enough that the man is not buying any more and is looking out for a shopping experience, provided marketers are willing to listen and provide them with their comfort zone.

 

Kartik Iyer, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Creative Services, Bengaluru, agency that conceived the campaign for basicslife.com says, “The central idea was to promote shopping for men like never before. We latched onto the idea ‘Shop like a man’, working out of the insight that online shopping could only have been invented by man.”

 

So how are marketers trying to target this new customer? Not that they weren’t consumers. The men have just become customers. Are they willing to give them space? Do they understand men enough to cater to their needs? Shalini Rawla, Managing Consultant at The Key Consumer Diagnostics, says, “While marketers routinely differentiate between men and women as target audience, brand strategies don’t often make this distinction. Does that mean a woman’s floor in a retail store should be all pink and men’s all blue? No. That is typecasting. Trouble is that most brand managers do not know the difference between typecasting and original casting.”

 

While men are shopping more, there still is more need to understand the sexes and their behaviour. Over the next few weeks, as a part of the ‘Marketing to Men’ series, we at MxMIndia will try and decode how Indian marketers and brands are fuelling this new got freedom – freedom to shop at their convenience – by men and what their strategies are and how is the Indian male responding to them. Is there a difference in expectations amongst the metro man and the small town man or even the rural male. Watch this space.

 

Decisions related to housing and real estate, primarily have been domains governed by men. If women are getting involved more into the decision making of the type and location of the house, financial decisions in investing into the house are still largely taken by men. Or do we think so? Rajeeb Dash, Head of Marketing, Tata Housing, speaks to MxMIndia on how men have evolved when it comes to buying and investing into a house.

 

While we talk about the evolution of women a lot, have men too evolved in the last decade in the sense how they shop?

In developing markets around the world, the purchasing power of consumers is rapidly changing the way companies and marketers respond. The decision making power is still dominated by men who is the CWE (Chief Wage Earner) in India as women comprise of only 16% of working professionals in India.

 

The basics of men shopping continue to remain the same. They are very clear in what they want and as a consumer they are well travelled out to make proper decision as per their taste. Most men only shop when they have to, which is mostly need driven and the shorter the time, the better. The average shopping trip for a man is 72 minutes, for a woman it is 1 hour 40 minutes *.

 

With changing lifestyle and increasing global exposure, there has been a change in the way men shop. Men today are increasingly spending more time and money on clothing, grooming products and technology gadgets etc. Being well traveled they realize the importance of carrying oneself as a professional and being participative in the overall dynamics.

 

However, it also safe to say that men are increasingly paying attention to the physical aspect of dressing up and are not merely focused on the comfort factor. This has led to a surge in products that cater to these needs and increased marketing of the same.

 

In Real Estate they play major role in terms of making the buying decision and also being the focal point in the family to influence others as real estate is always being the high ticket item purchase. Being exposed to the global market, the current trend among the HNIs is to buy second home which becomes weekend destination / holiday home. As per their life style they choose the product. To cater to this high flyers and new affluent segment, Tata Housing has launched luxurious villa project in Kaushali near Chandigarh. The project is designed on the theme of biophilic / bio-diversity architect so as to

 

How’s men’s approaching in buying property changed in the last few years? Or is it the same? What was priority for them a few years ago, and what’s now?

In recent times, growth in residential sector in the last few years has been driven by healthy demand for properties across price segments from working population of people in the age group of 27-45 years. In the past, people who purchased a property were below 45 years. The age of a home buyer has drastically decreased over the years today.

 

Men today consider several points before investing in property. In the past, men in India felt a matter of pride to own a home. Now, as the demographic investing into real estate has changed, men don’t buy to own a home alone. They look at it as an investment, evaluate long-term benefits of buying versus renting etc. in a nutshell, they look at the overall picture and the buying decision comes from what is beneficial to the buyer in a holistic way. Currently they are more focused towards long term investment rather than short term

 

Do you think, men involve their family more in buying a house, than what they would say 10 years ago? What’s bringing in this change?

The decision to purchase a house is embedded within a set of economic and socio-cultural processes. It varies from different property markets across the globe. While the act of purchasing a property constitutes a significant economic event for a family, the process of purchasing a house is an inherently social activity, involving setting goals, discussing and negotiating family needs. Depending on the region/area of the buyer, home buying defines the roles for each family member in the decision-making.

 

Being the head of the family, the man will always consider the needs of his family before making a purchase. However, the direct involvement of the other family members depends on the mind-set and often the economic dependency of the partner. The more economically independent, the more likely she is to be part of the decision making. Also the property buying always involves the location, the kind of amenities & facilities been provided.

 

How do men look at buying a house in factors – financial asset, a genuine need, emotional? What takes precedence? And would the order of precedence be the same for women too?

For men, the decision of buying a house depends on various factors. It depends on whether this is his first home, the age of the buyer(s) and then the purpose of buying the house (Investment etc.) Typically a man will go with a genuine need, followed by – financial asset and then wrap it up with emotional attachment.

 

For women, the order of preference may or may not be in the same order, however, given their inherent aesthetic nature the emotional quotient in the decision making is much higher.

 

How would you approach at the spot (construction site/property site) in dealing with a man differ from dealing with a woman? What are the attributes of the house/property you would play up while dealing with a man and what would be the attributes you would play up while dealing with a woman?

According to the National Association of Realtors, a US-based organization, since the mid-1990s, single women have purchased homes at nearly twice the rate as single men.

 

Similarly, data collated by global real estate brokerages also suggests that how female buyers’ preferences and behaviors differ from those of single men. For men, preference is given to buying foreclosures with an intention to invest, while single women buy homes they love.

 

Men would automatically look for parameters like access to office, bus stops, railway/metro lines and availability of parking lot etc. They would pay intricate attention to room size, carpet area, the populace in and around that area, safety issues etc.

 

Women, on the other hand, would typically look at access to schools, nursery, day care, supermarket, temple, medical care, other neighboring social amenities, and of course pay equal attention to safety.

Needless to say, developers will play up these attributes accordingly.

 

Property buying has always has been something wherein the right part of the brain conflicts with the left part while making a decision. There are two sets of consumer segment – one would like the external aspects of the project like the project master plan, building look / elevation / perspective, landscaping, club house etc; while the second segment would like the internal aspect like the efficiency of the room – there has to be more carpet area, the rooms need to be bigger, kitchen has to have dry balcony, privacy for the bed room and light & ventilation etc So, as a developer, we need to give the best of both world in order to satisfy both these sets of consumers.

 

Is there any difference in the aspirational behavior of a small town man and a metro man?

There is certainly a difference in the aspirations of a small town man versus a metro-bred man. The exposures and influences are different and hence their need and understanding of ‘luxury’ different.

 

The former would be what we call a Rural Aspirer, aspiring to achieve a status which will put him in the middle class bracket; while the latter can be safely termed as an Urban Aspirer, who on the other hand, is aiming to work hard in order to bracket himself as an upper middle class and more so lifestyle oriented.

 

Both have aspirations and some might mimic each other, but at the end of the day, both want to aspire for a better lifestyle. A simple illustration would be buying a home and buying a weekend home.

 

When it comes to financing the property, do you think the Indian male is taking more risks than what he would ten years ago? Can we the same for women too?

Property buying has become extremely organized now as more and more consumers are opting for home loans, a process which demands significant levels of transparency, both from the buyer and the developer.

 

While buyers are now increasingly opting for lavish homes that are expensive and are willing to take a Rs 80 lakh home loan for a tenure of 20 years; this cannot be interpreted as taking more risks because a financial institution is involved which is keeping close track on both the buyer and developer.

 

Moreover, men are increasingly buying more property and at an earlier age, but this is an investment decision taken with a lot of precautionary care and after clear financial assessment.

 

Therefore, the risk-taking aspect has actually gone down, because the purchasing power has gone up and so has the financial intelligence of buyers.

 

Are marketers keeping pace with this evolution and is there enough study on men’s buying behaviour?

Marketers are trying to be in sync with changing needs and expectations of consumers as much as they can, but more research and understanding of consumers’ buying patterns will certainly aid marketers in reaching out to consumers in a more effective manner.

 

 

 

 

Automobiles, as a category predominantly caters to men, and in a dull category like lubricants, which could be considered as an intangible product, which largely works behind the scene, inside the engine, how do brands create a pull. Shell has taken the adventure route and motorsports to showcase how Shell is the right choice for their cars and bikes. Television forms an important media for the brand where it has come up with adventure and action filled series globally. Mansi Tripathy, Chief Marketing Officer, Shell Lubricants India, talks to MxMIndia on how the brand is reaching out to the Indian male.

 

While we talk about the evolution of women a lot, have men too evolved in the last decade in the sense how they shop?

Indeed, last decade has seen significant evolution in men space as well. Most significant trends which we need to ride on are – changing role of Man at a household unit. He is the ‘millennial man’. He is much younger, on an average 29 years of age, always connected, always sharing and ever evolving. From just playing the role of the breadwinner in the erstwhile days, he is now taking on multiple roles of care giver, nurturer, an equal contributor in running a household. The new age Indian man today, flaunts his extreme mountaineering skills and his culinary skills in the kitchen, with equal ease and pride. For him both count as smart choices in his progressive journey. Our Shell Helix, Motorcar Engine oil is for this new age man who feels empowered to make smart choices in his life. He is positive, ambitious and most of all progressive.

 

Our buying behavior studies throw-up some interesting facts, like friends and family being the strongest influencers in his choice of an engine oil brand. We recognize the power of his community and share his passion for his car or bike, constantly driving shareable conversations on our Facebook page -facebook.shell.com which as we speak attracts almost 5 million Likes and almost 80, 000 conversations, India being the third largest contributor and on our Youtube channel; youtube.shell.com that drives close to 4.6 million views with 1.2 million views being from India.

 

The millennial man in India, is engaged with us across the gamut of social media communities on various topics like Shell Motorsport, Shell Eco-Marathon, The future of energy, Stories around Shell’s innovative solutions around the future of energy, global energy mix, fuel save, track to road initiative and how it touches not only his daily life, but also that of his friends, family and his extended community!

 

How has their adventure sense / driving sense evolved over the years, and how is Shell looking at catering to this change?

Yes, he is ever evolving and always connected, making smart choices in his progressive journey. Shell continues to partner him in his progressive journey. Shell’s association with Ducati & Ferrari is one of the greatest in motorsports history!! We want to be ahead of the curve like ,the millennial man & hence, our endeavor is to bring fuel tested on the race track to the road!

 

Besides motorsports, we are engaging with the new age Indian man in the areas of a) extreme motor car sports through our latest endeavor ‘Shell Helix Driven to Extremes’ and b) adventure bike rides with ‘Shell Advance Freedom Riders Asia’

 

We are also engaging the men on television too. The premium lubricant Shell Helix created a global three part television series called ‘Driven to Extremes’ and distributed globally by Discovery Worldwide. The central idea of the programme was that two specifically designed Nissan Patrol vehicles and more specifically the oil inside them, were tested against three of the most challenging roads on the planet. The three episodes focused on the coldest, the hottest and the roughest roads on earth. The three locations used were the Kolyma Highway in Eastern Siberia, also known as the ‘Road of Bones’, the Taklimakan dessert in far Western China, also known as the ‘Desert of Death’ and the dense tropical rainforest of Southern Malaysia. A-list Hollywood actors, Tom Hardy (of the Inception and The Dark Knight fame), Henry Cavill (of Superman: Man of Steel fame) and Adrien Brody (Won Oscar for best actor in the leading role for Pianist), joined forces with Formula 1 star Mika Salo and World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson, to take on these extreme roads in the world.

 

Shell Advance, in association with FOX Sports created a global AFP called ‘Freedom Riders Asia’. This show was all about thrilling adventure undertaken by well-known motorcyclist Charley Boorman as he explored the colourful biking landscapes of Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

 

Freedom Riders Asia as a programme celebrates the spirit of biking across Asia, while at the same time, offers an entertaining travel and adventure experience. On the launch of the FRA Youtube channel,India contributed to 0.5 mn views within 20 days of launch – 50% of  worldwide views.

 

What decides the purchase eventually or what takes precedence over certain factors – price, brand value, trust that Shell exudes, technology. How would this be different for a woman?

Eventually, preference is driven by a brand consumers can trust. Shell enjoys that amongst its consumers in India and across the globe being the No.1 lubricants brand in the world consecutively for 6 years in a row. The key difference we see vs woman is that men if convinced of the technology story brings in the “value”.

 

In a category like auto lubricants, does point-of-purchase have any importance? Or are lubricants picked up by the need?

The Indian man like I said is evolving. What goes into his car or bike matters to him, indeed. He is involved. Now, he is beginning to evaluate the his choice of lubricant at a pre-purchase stage through friends, family, the neighborhood mechanic, that technical expert in his digital social community. These count as the smart choices he makes for his progressive journey and with Shell Helix, we partner him in this journey. Our Shell Lubematch (lubematch.shell.com) mobile application does this beautifully by allowing him to find the best lubricants for your vehicle or equipment and provides users with the following benefits:

 

At the point-of-purchase, largely the segments function in three areas 1) IBYDIFM – (I buy you do it for me) i.e. the car /bike owner buys the lubricant & the mechanic at the workshop/ Point of purchase, fills it. 2) DIY (Do it yourself) the car/bike does the buying & filling 3) DIFM (Do it for me)- The car/bike owner completely depends on the mechanic/workshop owner at the POP to do everything.

 

Shell customers are highly involved and largely fit into brackets 1) & 2)

 

Are marketers keeping pace with this evolution and is there enough study on men’s shopping behaviour?

The change is coming and marketers are already showing cues of that evolution be it in advertising insights, male grooming as an industry or larger marketing platform. However, the pace at which the market is changing is outpacing the change which marketers are able to incorporate it.

 

While there is lot of study done on men and their shopping behavior, we are still at infancy of the understanding as the last 100 years where still devoted to knowing and understanding women. So we have long journey to go!

 

With growing consumerism, we wouldn’t be faulted for assuming that the outlook of the Indian male towards investing his money must have evolved. He may be making smarter investing decisions, but that still is within the purview of safe nets and still being averse to taking risks. The fear of erosion of the principal money still scares him away from high return financial instruments. So how has the Indian male evolved or evolved at all?  And what do marketers think about this evolution? Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, speaks to MxMIndia and throws more light on this. Excerpts:

 

While we talk a lot about the evolution of women and their financial independence in the last decade, has the Indian male too evolved? If yes, how, and what are these changes?

Historically, we have noticed that financial decisions have been predominantly been taken by men and in recent years when we talk of women increasing in numbers as professionals and financial independence, not much has changed. In absolute terms, the number of women taking independent financial decisions may have grown, but in percentage terms, there is no growth. And that absolute number even if it’s small, financial institutes are eager to catch them young and can expect loyalty for a life time.

 

I do not want to make any sweeping statements. But the reality and dichotomy is that even in the case for working women where they have blossomed as professionals, money is largely being handled by either the husband or being advised by the father. In professional terms too, if there are distributors or if when women are seeking financial advise, these professionals or agents too are largely men. We can say that if men were just handling their money 10 years ago, they are handling the women’s money too today.

 

So has there been no evolution for men?

No. We should better understand it this way. Today, when it comes to decisions like buying a property or a car, or investing in gold, it’s a family decision, unlike 10 years ago. Women have become initiators, and contributors, but ultimately when it comes to the casting vote, it’s with the men. So men are involving women too in key financial decisions. They are more inclusive now. You will notice that change in our communication too. When, say, 10 years ago, it were just the men in our communication, today women are there as initiators and contributors.

 

But either way, it is an influencer-driven category. The influencer could be the immediate surroundings or a financial advisor distributor who is largely a male for both men and women. Therefore, having laid this as a ground rule, women are more active now in the decisions and open to initiating. There are more family decisions today. We have women saying, let’s invest in some property or let’s invest in gold.

 

But in terms of buying financial products has there been a change in the behaviour of men?

When it comes to financial products, he is a simpleton. He doesn’t know much about them. As such, how much so we want to say that we have varied products, the reality is there isn’t much product differentiation. Men today, like 10 years ago, believe in financial security, so savings instruments like savings account, fixed deposits, recurring deposits, postal savings are still popular as they were then and still are considered to be safe bets. I am talking about mass and not just the metro man. When it comes to the mass, he’s still a simpleton.Just look at it this way. When should one invest in a share market or mutual fund – when it going up or going down? It should be when it’s down so that they can book profits when it’s up. But the reality for the Indian male still is that they start pulling out money when the market is falling. They do not want to erode their principal amount. Having said that, the other reality is equally harsh that there is only 44 per cent penetration of banks and just two per cent penetration of shares. So a large population doesn’t even know that there is a mutual fund. Mutual fund for them still is equity linked. They don’t know the differences that there are diversified funds, balanced funds and debt funds, and that the last would give better returns than traditional saving accounts and is largely safe.

 

So how do we talk to them? We don’t use jargons. We still talk about benefits. Ultimately, the brand logo has to be there, so we will call it a mutual fund. If Yuvraj Singh is in our communication, he talks about the benefits of security. That is what the man is looking for.

 

That’s about investment, is that the same for borrowing?

While for investing the Indian male may be the same but for borrowing, the growth in consumerism has changed him tremendously. When 10 years ago, taking a loan was a taboo, men have changed their outlook towards borrowing. They are more open to live life on borrowing for a lifestyle. They are more open to getting their house mortgaged because they are more positive today that they are going to live, and live happily and make all this as an enabler. There are financial institutes which offer loans against gold as security. Ten years ago it was unthinkable. Even popular cinema fuelled that where gold was mortgaged to a Lala and all hell was let loose upon the lives of the family. But that all has changed. India is open to live on borrowed money.

 

Is there a difference in the expectations of the Indian male geographically or society-wise?

As a mass, whether he’s in a metro or in a small town or rural, he still remains, as I said earlier, a simpleton. His primary concern is security. And there’s not much difference in our communication too. Rather than using jargon, we still have to state benefits and delve on security, because beyond that he doesn’t understand.

 

As a broad consumer segment, women have absolutely needed the market attention they’ve received over the years. It’s only since the women’s market emerged as a priority, brands awakened to the need to deliver vastly improved customer experiences, as expected by the consumers. Many brands now have much better foundation to service woman customers. Such strong foundation can be employed to reach men more effectively as well, feels Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, of premium lifestyle brand, WOODS. In an interview with MxMIndia, Mr Singh talks about how men’s fashion sense is changing and what’s fuelling that. Excerpts:

 

While we talk about the evolution of women a lot, have men too evolved in the last decade in the sense how they shop?

Men are no longer so quick to leave purchasing decisions and shopping to women. They are becoming more informed about lifestyle and fashion categories, which is likely only the start. The more men see other men caring more about such things, the more acceptable it becomes for other men to follow suit. This cultural acceptability gives male consumers a whole new level of freedom, which leads to a significant opportunity for marketers.

 

How has men’s fashion sense evolved over the years, and how is WOODS looking at catering to this change?

Men today are more concerned about their looks than women in certain situations. This is quite evident from the fact that men are now looking at personal grooming seriously; being looked up for their fashion sense.

 

Menswear has seen a fashion makeover from the earlier times. Today, menswear is more about sophistication and style. With both these becoming an integral part of men’s clothing range, style quotient only tends to rise. Men’s fashion is no longer considered to be stagnant.

 

WOODS meets the end by offering the men fraternity with footwear, apparels and accessories that fall under genres like fashion-wear, club-wear, formal wear, et al. Through our wide range of products we quench their thirst for fashion and style.

 

While WOODS has products for women too, how do you feel marketing is different to both the sexes? Which colours are picked up more by men? How much time they take to select a colour or style as compared to a woman?

It is no more shades of brown and black. Men have shifted focus from those mundane hues. With the fashion industry at its peak, customers get to witness more styles and trends in and around them. Media acts as a major propagator in this segment; this in a large scale has transformed the preferences of men. Men now have preference for apparels and footwear in shades of green, blue, maroon, grey et al.

 

Is the Point-of-Purchase designed keeping the male in mind. How would it be different from a target audience of females?

Every individual has a different taste and appeal; gender segregation is certainly a different platform of differentiation. Point-of-purchase too needs to be designed keeping in mind, the likes – dislikes – preferences of the target audiences. While men primarily look for sophistication, women go for colourful, stylish styles and thus, the designs being implemented at the selling point. WOODS is in the process of getting its own chain of stand-alone stores, targeting at least 30-store network by this year-end and you’ll see implementation of the thought once we unveil the new VM layouts being worked by the team.

 

Is there any difference in the shopping behaviour of a small town man and a metro man?

There is not much difference in the shopping behaviour of a small town man and a metro, because both of them are well informed of the emerging fashion trends. Moreover, most of the male population from the small town mobilizes to the cities for various purposes like education, business and employment. This helps them in keeping them updated with the current trend in the fashion industry; there is no specific difference in the shopping pattern as both of them are well informed about the trend.

 

Is there any difference geographically in India?

There is not much difference geographically; men are men when it comes to shopping, irrespective of the region they belong to. They always relate to durability of a product than the design factor.

 

Is the Indian male getting experimental and to what extent and how are you catering to that?

Men customers are experimental; they do make their choice out of their preferences and they will not buy the products to satisfy the marketer. Nowadays, customers – both men and woman do their market research before buying any product. They equip themselves with the market knowledge like price, quality, durability & style. It takes immense hard-work to meet these expectations of the clients. We at Aero Club have always adhered to this; there is an independent in-house research team in place to study the market and the customer demand and we cater to them as per the regular reports / feedback that come to us.

 

Our market research helps us to customize our products as per the customers need. The designs of our products are inspired from countries like Milan and Paris that are considered to be the fashion hubs; in fact they are a step ahead in keeping up the trend in line with the international designers.

 

What do you credit this evolution – in the man?

It’s more because of a well-informed customer with access to information on styles across the Globe that has led to this evolution. And for marketers, keeping pace with this evolution is more of a necessity than a choice since any brand / marketer needs to adapt to the market changes / evolution to satisfy the customer demands.