Brands Uncover a New Male Consumer: Care is No Longer a Women’s Job

When discussing toxic masculinity, gender inequality, and violence against women on social platforms, it is often encountered a comment that goes something like: ‘But not all men.’ Setting aside the fact that this remark is unnecessary, as they are not the topic, what is wrong with patriarchy, misogyny, and inequality is – precisely those ‘other’ men to whom brands are paying more and more attention, as well as budget.

As research from Trendwatching shows, in the lead-up to this year’s Father’s Day, a record number of campaigns and activities celebrating ‘those’ men have been launched: caring, gentle fathers who do not ‘help’ women in parenting but take an active role in parenthood. They no longer identify with the image that the market has been selling for years, which is that they must be successful, strong, and resilient, where caring for the family is portrayed as taking financial responsibility, and less often as what happens when a child needs changing in the middle of the night, when a partner is going through a tough time, when parents age, or when, simply, it is necessary to sit down and talk about something that men have traditionally not been taught to discuss.

As highlighted by the Trendwatching platform in the report ‘The Male Care Code‘, this pattern is beginning to change, and this change is significant enough to potentially open up an entirely new consumer category and finally launch products and services designed for such men and their needs.

New Male Role

In fact, considering that as many as 80 percent of fathers globally say that being a father is their most important role in life, it is strange that a market that knows so well how to sell parenting-related products still treats part of that audience as secondary. A large portion of brands related to care has been conceived for decades based on the assumption that women are the primary users, buyers, and decision-makers. This applies to pregnancy, menstruation, baby products, a large part of healthcare, but also to the emotional aspect of family life. The man has mostly been portrayed in these stories as a partner who helps, a father who participates, or someone who will buy the product if prompted.

Fortunately, brands have emerged that have noticed that this assumption needs to change. One of the examples highlighted in the report comes from Canada, where KT by Knix, a brand that produces menstruation underwear, organized an event ‘Pints & Periods’ in its store in Toronto on the occasion of Father’s Day. It was aimed exclusively at fathers and father figures, with beer, burgers, and a conversation with a menstrual health expert, and participants ultimately received a package of products they could take to the teenager in their life.

The idea may not sound particularly revolutionary, but that is precisely what makes it interesting. The brand did not try to turn men into menstruation experts, nor did it hold a lecture on anatomy, but rather tried to remove the discomfort that often deters them from discussing the topic.

This is, in fact, a pretty good illustration of the change happening in the market. If we want to involve men in categories that have traditionally been ‘female’, it is not enough to say that they should get involved, but products, services, and experiences need to be designed according to their modus operandi, and communication needs to be translated into ‘male’ or perhaps even gender-neutral language (depending on the category, of course).

Male Language

A good example of the latter is Humanrace, Pharrell Williams’ skincare brand. The scrub and lotion in the collection are not presented as cosmetics but as part of a recovery routine that continues after training, protein shake, etc. In other words, men may not say they need self-care or that they need to nurture their skin in several steps (let’s remember the Korean routine that has conquered the West), but they will agree that recovery of body and mind after sports activity is essential.

A similar logic applies to mental health. As Trendwatching points out, a good example of this is the Brazilian hospital Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, which launched a five-hour assessment of mental health and cognitive performance for managers. Since the initiative comes from the employer and is presented as maintaining performance rather than acknowledging weakness, it is better accepted among the male population.

In addition to changing the language, or presenting individual products or services differently, some brands have realized that in some market segments, men do not have ‘their’ products at all. Morrisons has thus placed bins for hygiene products in men’s restrooms in British stores, responding to the problem of incontinence after prostate surgery (up to 60 percent of men have such issues, and more than a third avoid purchasing because there is no appropriate infrastructure).

Packaging is Not Enough

The Good Husband app from Dubai helps with emotionally demanding conversations with partners: it offers different communication tones and coaching mode that explains emotional dynamics. They note that it does not robotize the relationship but helps men articulate their emotions at moments when they know a conversation is needed but do not have enough experience or words to express themselves.

However, as trendwatchers note in their report, the biggest mistake would be to assume that the male care code means just repackaging women’s products in male packaging. This trend is not about making the packaging of cream masculine, black, and the model advertising it be bearded, but about changing the very definition of the male consumer. His domain is no longer just cars, beer, barbecues, or watches but also baby bottles, school supplies, and even caring for elderly parents or one’s own mental health.

Thus, care, at least in (an increasingly large) part of the male population, is becoming part of everyday life. They no longer buy products or services that their partners told them to buy, but make their own decisions; they build their relationship with the brand based on loyalty, trust, especially if they feel that it understands their language and their needs. The latter is the key message of the entire trend. As trendwatchers conclude, the future male consumer will not be so concerned with how ‘male’ a product or service looks, but will follow who or what understands his life. In other words, the caring man is already here, but the market has not yet fully noticed him.