AdWeek Asks Why Marketers Are *Still* Ignoring Guys
Posted on 14. Aug, 2008 by Brian in General
If there is only one article you read this year about the changing face of masculinity (and, to a lesser extent, fatherhood), make it AdWeek’s brilliant “Man of the House,” which pulls together a mountain of statistics that suggest that were doing more of the cooking, cleaning and childrearing than ever before. Here are some of the best stats from the piece:
- “The portion of housework done by men in couples has doubled, with men who once performed 15 percent of the housework now doing 30 percent”
- “Men have also tripled the amount of childcare they do since the 1960s”
- “more men than ever are preparing dinner — 18 percent of dinners in 2007, compared to 14 percent in 2003″ (I know, 18 percent isn’t a huge number. But a 30 percent rise in 4 years is amazing.)
- “A BIGresearch survey in June that asked consumers what products they buy at least once a month found men trailing only slightly behind women in a number of categories, including household cleaning products (54 percent vs. 56 percent, respectively), dairy products including milk (88 percent vs. 93 percent) and baby products (13 percent vs. 14 percent); for laundry products, men tied women, with 53 percent.”
- “A study for Edelman conducted by StrategyOne, “Pride in My Home: A Perspective From Today’s Men,” found that among men who live alone or in a couple (opposite- or same-sex), 76 percent reported being primarily or partly responsible for buying groceries, and 63 percent reported being primarily or partly responsible for purchasing both cleaning products and laundry supplies.”
But the big question still goes unanswered, despite heaps of reporting: why are guys still more or less ignored by Madison Avenue? There are no satisfying answers. My hope is that the slick New York hotshots who drive the advertising business are just a few years behind the time, and that we’re on the verge of being demographic darlings.
(Greg Allen from daddytypes.com — who has some great quotes in the piece — warns that we should all enjoy our anonymity while it lasts. Being ignored might be better than being defined by the advertising industry.)
JohnMcG
14. Aug, 2008
On the plus side, I did receive an e-mail from Pampers today that my child is 41 moths old..
I wanted to add, “and not wearing Pampers anymore”
Brian
15. Aug, 2008
Shhh.
Better to quietly send nastygrams to the offending companies and they will at least hook you up with sweet, sweet coupons – I got a couple $4 numbers for Pull-Ups after complaining about their “easy open sides – for moms!” or some such thing.
And they -did- change the copy on their coupon flyers after a while. I shan’t take credit for that, though.
Mike
15. Aug, 2008
They will probably start targeting us for advertising about the same time that places like McDonalds and Wal-Mart realize that it would be a good idea to put changing tables in the men’s room. I’m amazed everytime I have to change my baby on top of the table at a restaurant.
creative-type dad
15. Aug, 2008
Maybe because mom’s spend more on frivolous items for children that dads.
I know when I, or fellow fathers, shop for our kids we get what’s needed, and don’t necessarily shop for fun.
As for the comment above – yes, we need more changing tables in men’s restrooms. Or more family restrooms.
christine
15. Aug, 2008
Greg A. is so right — enjoy it while it lasts! There are perks to being unrecognized, when it comes to Madison Avenue ridiculousness. . .
always home and uncool
18. Aug, 2008
Better to be silent and thought smart and principled than be a BlogHer demographic.
lindabeth
20. Aug, 2008
Hi there, I really like your site and I’m glad your here blogging.
Am I right, or is your question a bit tongue-in-cheek? Because it’s BS that dads are being ignored, but I think we all know that advertisers work more on stereotypes and reinforcing convention than reflect real life by any means. The only “revolution” that is ever addressed in advertising is the one going on in your washing machine with your revolutionary detergent!
Cheers!
Kelly M. Bray
24. Aug, 2008
Brian, I didn’t know moms wore diapers with easy open sides!!!