Mister Tungate, what makes male-targeted marketing distinct from that aimed either at a general audience, or at women?
“The general consensus is that it’s much harder to sell men ‘the dream’. In male fashion and skincare advertising, for example, you’ll see much more emphasis on science, technology and performance. Even standard advertising techniques like celebrity endorsement walk a delicate line when it comes to men: the endorser must be perceived as ‘real’ (genuinely talented, preferably a sportsman) or at least admirable. Maturity helps. So does being James Bond. Humour, too. But boyish good looks? Nah.

How much has marketing to men changed over the last decade or so? Why did that change come about?

“A big change came in the 1980s with the launch of magazines such as Men’s Health in the USA and Arena in the UK, followed by more mainstream titles including Loaded and FHM in the 1990s. These made it more acceptable for straight men to evince an interest in grooming, fashion and working out.
This led marketers to adopt the concept of the metrosexual: a straight man who shared gay consumers’ concerns with skincare and style. However, true metrosexuals turned out to be few and far between, so there was a backlash, resulting in advertising that used more conventional icons like Daniel Craig, Clive Owen and of course George Clooney. I believe we’re now in a post-metrosexual era, in which men have integrated the need to look good but don’t want brands to lecture them overtly about it. By the way, Men’s Health is still the world’s biggest selling men’s magazine. It has a very practical, ‘how to’ approach – men are quite pragmatic, at the end of the day.

We seem to have gone from an earlier age of perceived elegance, through laddishness and metrosexuality, and back to elegance again. What, if anything, did we learn from the transition?

“I think it’s less of a transition and more of a combination: men have learned that it’s perfectly OK to display certain ‘feminine’ traits – from sensitivity right through to a grooming regime – without in any way sacrificing their masculinity. Men are less confused about their role and far more relaxed. I call them Men 2.0. They can have their electric drill and their moisturizer too.

Has the disposable income of men shifted in recent years?

“Yes. In short, men are getting married older, divorcing younger, and living longer. So, at various points in their lives, they have fuller wallets.