The elusive 18-34 man: Who cares?
July 16th, 2007Yet another conference aimed at helping clueless marketers reach “elusive male consumers” age 18 to 34. As Marti Barletta points out elsewhere–sure, they’re elusive–but who cares? Young men are the worst consumer target imaginable. 
No money, no time… interests that are . . . limited. But “Marketing to Men 18-34″ persists on August 8th in New York City. So if you’re marketing financial services, travel, automotive, clothing or luxury goods–listen up. Here are a few of the program highlights you won’t want to miss:
9:50AM: Attitudes, shopping trends and lifestyles of the elusive male consumer: Believe it or not, men love to shop, but there are distinct generational differences to consider when creating marketing plans that target male consumers. [Right. Twenty-one year old men love nothing better than an afternoon at the mall.]
11:30AM: Reaching men through pop culture: As hip-hop culture has gone mainstream, maintaining authenticity and nuance has become the ultimate marketing challenge. [The speaker] will address the challenges and rewards in pairing such street-savvy artists as 50 Cent with next generation brands such as Vitamin Water, the marketing potential of music videos and how Reebok made charity cool. [Clever: 50 cents from every sale of 50 Cent’s G6 shoes goes to a non-profit cause! Charity is cool…finally!]
4:10PM: Kickboxing, cinema and consumers: Gareb Shamus, one of Brandweek’s Marketers of the Next Generation, founded Wizard Comics in 1991 and has since become a multimillionaire using his Wizard Entertainment Group to market comics, toys, collectibles and related merchandise to 18- to 34-year-old men. Last year, he founded the International Fight League, which is also targeted to men 18-34 and features mixed martial arts in a team concept. IFL has been embraced by such marketing partners as Xbox, Suzuki, Warner Home Video, Sandals Resorts, Fox Sports Net and Dale and Thomas Popcorn. Shamus will reveal how targeting “boys with toys” can be a lucrative adventure.
I can hardly wait.
July 16th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Great post.
You skipped this gem:
“effective ways to hit what literally has become a moving target, and will reveal how your company can use licensing deals, product placement and experiential activation to drive marketing and increase ROI.”
Literally a moving target… means there is an actual mass of men 18-34 moving about. Mothers lock up your women.
Speakers are from the 18-34 male powerhouses: A & E and Pepsi!