How to advertise to men

Whilst researching how products are advertised or portrayed to appeal to men, I came across the campaign for WKD. I thought this was a particularly interesting example as in my opinion WKD has a reputation as a low-strength, girly alcopop. However the adverts - as below - try to overcome this image by being definitely and purposely aimed at men:

The ad takes a situation all men can identify with (a nagging female) and then gives it a humorous slant - the situation in the ad is what all men would probably love to be able to do. It also makes men appear to be cunning and secretly having the upper hand - in an article I read entitled "6 Ways Advertising Attracts Men" (Suggett, P. About.com Guide), number 5 is "Men are suckers for flattery" which I feel is definitely in play here.


A lot of ads with a male focus that I've looked at have been comedy orientated (particularly beers in terms of the alcohol sector), however I feel this could potentially cheapen the product if done incorrectly. Below is an ad for pot noodle, not a particularly prestigious brand:

I'm also unsure as to how this type of thing would fit in with the heritage element of the Bacardi brand that I wish to portray. I feel something more along the lines of the Stella advert below might be more suitable:

There is much more of a cool, suave feel yet it is still quite light-hearted and not too serious or boring.


Out of interest, I have looked into how Havana Club rum is marketed as I feel this is a well known rum with a cooler, more contemporary image than Bacardi:

I feel this ad combines the heritage of the product (imagery of Havana, music, etc) with a vibrant, fun advert which might appeal to a younger audience (although perhaps not specifically males). It does, however, have a party or festival feel, similar to how Bacardi has been marketed previously but seemingly hasn't attracted the target audience for this brief, so this needs to be taken into consideration.

An advert which to me signifies how a brand can be cool and not particularly funny, but still appeal to young males is the latest Carling ad:

Carling previously used humorous ad's however have now had a turn-around in line with "the brands new, stylish and sophisticated identity"(Carling, 2012). I feel this ad is very modern, sleek and importantly masculine (the colours, the imagery, the subject) without particularly using stereotypical matter. It also has a focus on the brands British heritage whilst not being stuffy or old-fashioned, and gives the product in question a quality image.

This has all given me a great deal to think about in terms of how I could approach the solution. I feel I now need to combine all of my research so far (about the Bacardi brand, the target audience and male advertising strategies) and see how they connect.

Although this research has given me inspiration and an insight into how to successfully appeal to a male audience, I am also aware that part of solving the Bacardi brief is to do something different and unique. In The Advertising Concept Book (2008), Barry states that "Too often we are influenced by what's already out there" (p.35) - I don't want to fall into the trap of just copying what's already been done.


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