This is a man’s world …
Yes, James Brown, you’re right. When it comes to tech at least. See, at 42%, men are nearly 2x as likely to keep up with new technology than a woman or a girl – as the song goes.
But, why?
It all comes down to one word: fear.
Women, as a whole, are more anxious than men about technology. Their anxiety reduces their self-effectiveness and increases their perception that tech takes too much effort.1 So, as sad as it is to say – when it comes to tech – you want a male audience.
But, that begs the question …
Are all men created equal, or is there a difference when it comes to age? We were curious too. So, we sifted through male behavioral data and compared two age groups: 18-34 and 35+.
Here’s what we found.
#1. Apple News is for everyone.
Take a look below. You’ll see first-party data showing reach and frequency between young and older men who visit Apple News. That means both age groups feel that Apple does a good job speaking to their needs and interests when it comes to news.
But, the similarities stop there.
While the young’uns hit up Twitter, ages 35+ go to News Break, instead. That means app and survey data can help you see exactly where your audience is spending their time, and you can use their app visitation data to make them fall in love with your brand.
Nice.
Now what?
Well, it’s time to include these channels in your marketing plan.
Here’s how. Use Twitter to reach your young buyers on brand-new tech products. After all, 25% of American men are on Twitter. It’s the place to go for a younger audience.2
For older consumers, zero in on channels like News Break. Send surveys to find out what messaging they’re into, and then cater to their interest in your ad copy. That’s how you’ll catch the interest of the older male buyer, and make him more likely to choose your brand.
But, don’t stop there.
You can use on-demand survey and behavior data to kill the competition, too.
Picture this.
You sell laptops. Now, you already know that 64% will shop online for your product first, before going in-store. And, laptops don’t get purchased overnight. You need a long-term relationship with your buyer, who just so happens to be 74% male.3
Great.
Create an online community. The behavior data shows that men ages 18-34 are significantly more likely to use YouTube, Snapchat, Discord, and Hulu apps than older age groups.
Figure 3: Male Gen Zers are on these social platforms, right now.
Start here.
You now have the data to show new places to spend precious marketing funds. These are great ad channels to get ahead in the game. Reach your target market by surveying male Gen Zers to see what products they’re interested in. Learn how they buy and study their behaviors. Then, you can build brand awareness using their own keywords to promote your products.
By placing ads early in the customer journey, you improve conversions. Not only are you more likely to beat the competition by staying top of mind, but you’re also choosing social apps with high visitation numbers. So, you may be able to pull in other demographics too, in the process.
You know who, what, and where you’re targeting. You’ve asked Gen Z or Millennials – depending on your goals – the kinds of ads they’d like to see. Now, it’s time to A/B test. Get feedback on the creative you’ve come up with and see your sales soar past the competition.
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