Source – Digiday
As the luxury market is having to adjust to marketing to a new generation, they are seeing an unexpected boost from men. When looking into the hows and why, male influencers on Instagram is the influence. How is your social going to set you apart when they look for new brands to explore?
What You Need to Know:
Instagram and their male influencer base is playing a bigger role in how a man decides what to wear and where to shop, supported by the data.
By 2020, men’s wear will increase 14% since 2015, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the luxury sector.
The average piece of men’s luxury is $239, a 64% increase in the last five years. Men have become more invested in what and who they are wearing.
Men are more likely to follow influencers and be casual participants in an audience than pick up a magazine to see what the new style trends are.
Photo Courtesy of MYBELONGING
The Rest
The days of ignoring your male market are over, as there is a rising surge of social conscious men on social media. Men have long been ignored as those who shop once or twice a year and don’t tend to try new brands- making them extremely hard to cater to. With the rise of Instagram and Facebook, it has become more in their face about fashion and new brands. Men are more likely to follow influencers and be casual participants in an audience than pick up a magazine to see what the new style trends are.
It has become easier to sell a lifestyle to men through influencers than models or what their partners want them to wear. With the rise of millennial men moving into work spaces, they are looking to social media to guide them on what to wear. These millennials are deeply connected to their influencers and emulating a lifestyle. With hot events like New York Fashion Week going on currently, social media about men’s fashion is being blasted out by influencers such as Tommy Lei of MYBELONGING. With over 98k followers tracking his fashionable adventures, he’s reaching an audience that can be valuable to brands to reach.
“Male influencers have created such incredible moments on Instagram that have become these “quick visual cues” as men flip through their feeds each day. In the past if men wanted to get trend information it came from other guys in the office, their significant others or publications like Esquire.” Kyle Hjelmeseth, founder of God & Beauty, elaborates. “Male blogging has infiltrated the daily visual stimulation for men, which as the data shows, is boosting the luxury sector for men. This week is New York Fashion Week: Men’s, and if you even just casually follow someone like Tommy Lei / MYBELONGING, you’re being updated about the latest for men — and influencing future purchasing decisions.”
Moral of the Story
Don’t leave men out of the plan! As the market is growing and becoming more socially aware, they will become a hot commodity to market to. Partnering with male influencers is going to be meaningful in bringing the lifestyle of your brand to life. With this being a new avenue for marketing teams, it’s important to reach out to those who know them the best. Male influencers have been long ignored for their work in the fashion sector, but they have a great voice that men care about and listen to.
Little tip from the Top
“Once the market for men’s really started to take off, men’s brands started to invest more in advertising and department stores increased their square footage in menswear departments, increasing the visibility of menswear brands,” said Tammy Smulders, global managing director of LuxHub, a division of Havas Media Group. “Men, in turn, have responded by purchasing more fashionable clothing, and brands have further increased investment in the category.”
Investing more money into reaching your male audience is going to be key to have your brand stand out among the rest. The social market is waiting for brands to jump in and spend their marketing dollars where it counts. Men are becoming more invested in their fashion and want to be marketed to in a meaningful way.