<FONT COLOR="#FF0033"><B>Goafest:</B></FONT> Expression of masculinity changing among Asian men

For all these years, Marlboro represented the image of masculinity. However, the Marlboro man is no longer held up as the ultimate masculine ideal in the US and Europe. Asian men too are following suit with a differing perception of masculinity.

The new age Asian man, today, has a different name in different markets. While in some markets he is called metrosexual, in others he is referred to as retrosexual. Other tags given to him include ubersexual, new age sensitive man or even vital sexual.

During her talk on ‘Asia’s Mister Oversimplified’, Michelle Kristula Green, regional president, Leo Burnett, Asia Pacific, revealed that today technology has become the expression for masculinity among Asian men. A survey reveals that 92 per cent of Indian men feel that they are incomplete without technology.

Similarly, it’s no longer considered taboo to portray men as emotional. Green cited the example of the Raymond ads, which has rightly portrayed today’s new age sensitive man.

Likewise, Asian men are also considered to be under pressure to change their personality. They feel the constant need to look good, because their girlfriends or wives want that. This is probably why men’s skincare products account for almost 25 per cent of the overall skincare market today.

Other research reports suggest that 84 per cent of Thai men are trying to look good, while 85 per cent of Korean men actually carry a personal grooming kit.

According to Green, the irony is that advertising agencies across Asia are not doing enough to reach out to these men. Women and kids are still their top priority. As Green said, “The Asian men are fast changing and agencies need to think according to these changes.”

She cited a very interesting example. If you search on Amazon.com for marketing to women, the result will throw up around 679 links, and almost 80 results are on the same phrase – ‘Marketing to women’. But if you do the same search for men, the result is only three links.

Green continued, “Just because enough is not being done to market to men, Asian men are fast getting disconnected towards ads.”

She mentioned a proprietary research done by Leo Burnett, which indicates that 66 per cent of Indian men feel that ads use the same repetitive message, concept and standard formulas, so they don’t watch ads.”

Green suggests that men need to go up on the priority for marketers.

Asian men are also more important because the average Asian man earns more than a woman in the region, unlike his counterpart in the US. Another survey reveals that Asian men possess one expensive brand which they could have done without, and the figure among Indian men is a whopping 58 per cent.

Green says that the traditional gender roles in Asia are blurring. While 50 per cent of the Chinese men are ready to share parental duties, 60 per cent of Indian men are also ready to do so.

The change is also evident from the fact that Asian men, who traditionally have been the authoritative figure in the family, are trying to be ‘cool daddies’. And interestingly, 63 per cent of India men feel the need to be friendly dad.

The other important change that has been seen among Asian men is that while earlier they expected others to follow them, today they are ready to adapt from their future generation. This has also led to a situation that dads are no longer considered to be a role model for their son.

Green pointed out that the reason behind this could be that today’s younger generation men are earning much more than what their dads had ever dreamt of.

Incidentally, most of the Asian fathers feel that their teenage son knows more about technology than they do.

Green advises that marketers need to follow this transition of Asian men, failing which they may be left behind in the race.

She also suggested that new touch points are needed to be created to reach out to these metrosexual men as they spend more time outside home and travelling.

She concluded with the example of the latest Air Deccan ad, which through using innovative media and invitational viewing, created an impact of $ 1.5 million with a media spend of only $30 million.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!