Marketing in the modern age of the Millennial man

William Reihl remembers the chorus of boo’s that greeted him when he first began talking about Millennial men and their increasing role in household buying decisions, once considered the purview of women.

Granted, Reihl, managing director of global brand marketing with the New York-based agency Ketchum, was addressing a roomful of professional women at the time. They were in Chicago to attend a conference on the subject of marketing to moms and in walked this guy wanting to discuss the world’s newest generation of men and the shifting portrait of the modern family and its purchasing habits.

The jeers weren’t spiteful. Not really.

The research behind Reihl’s controversial topic is serious stuff to marketers and, indeed, anyone interested in better understanding the Millennial mind.

Millennials are the folks who follow Generation X. They are the world’s first true digital natives who, now in their early 20s and 30s, are gaining steam in the economy and in the workplace.

Much has been written about this generation and the tendency to be more confident, self-expressive and liberal than their parents or grandparents ever were.

Ketchum’s own survey of 18 to 35-year-olds revealed important distinctions within the Millennial grouping. Namely, that younger Millennial males (18 to 25 years) tend to hold more conservative views than their older brothers (26 to 35 years) on topics of relationships, sex, health, appearance and careers.

According to study, these so-called “New Traditionalists” are:

• More likely than older Millennials to believe men are still expected to be provider and protector in the home (23 per cent versus 15 per cent of older Millennials);

• More likely to say it matters that men are the breadwinners in a marriage (40 per cent versus 33 per cent);

• More likely to think the “strong, silent” stereotype still applies to them (28 per cent versus 24 per cent); and

• Less likely to think it’s OK to be vulnerable about their looks with friends (67 per cent versus 74 per cent).

That’s not to say younger Millennial men have reverted to 1950s-era Mad Men.

“They are still very modern. They have as many female friends as male friends and are more comfortable than older generations about being open about their feelings,” said Reihl.

Rather, he said, “The guidance here is to not stereotype and lump all men, even all Millennial men, into one category.”

The subtle differences are important in an era when marketing to men is moving past the traditional “beer, moose, babes and hockey.”

This is, after all, the generation where men are increasingly content to stay home with the kids while mom goes off to work.

(A study published in June by the Pew Research Centre found the number of fathers in the United States who are at home with their children has nearly doubled since 1989. The number peaked in 2010 at 2.2 million, but has since fallen slightly as the U.S. economy has recovered from the 2008 financial crisis.)

Many are struggling to cope with historic debt loads stemming from student loans, low wages and soaring house prices in urban markets. At the same time, Millennials (who now comprise 25 per cent of the American workforce, growing to 75 per cent in 2025, according to Lindsey Pollock, an American workplace expert) are taking the office by storm demanding purpose-driven work and flexible schedules they allow them more time with family and friends.

Reihl got hooked on the topic when he began to examine the impact of the generation on modern marketing and, specifically, how the industry was adapting to the changing roles of men in society and in the household.

“Guys are still guys. They still like sports,” Reihl said. “But there are definitely nuanced shifts that reflect how they think today.”