The latest Real McCoy’s branding wheeze is “MAN CRISPS”. “McCoy’s are unashamedly for men.” says the brand director (who is A WOMAN), “We want to celebrate all that’s great about them, by giving them a crisp they deserve and can share with their mates when they’re enjoying being blokey.” Supporting this push are various NO NONSENSE flavours like “Cheese and bacon”, and an ad campaign in which McCoys are removed from men who are expressing an interest in the UNMANLY likes of Donny Osmond and ballet.
When I mentioned this to my fellow MAN LOLLARDS the other week the response was “But all crisps are for men”. Even if that’s the case there’s definitely a move on to make men buy more snacks. Advertising wisdom seems to be that REAL MEN do not respond to poncey concepts like subtlety, so KPs new peanuts range FOR MEN rejoices in the name “BIG NUTS”.
KP and McCoys are not alone: Burger King and Yorkie have also joined the man appeal bandwagon – or MANDWAGON. The educated reader – even if they are a PROPER BLOKE – may well have noticed a thematic link between the products getting in on this. They are all, essentially, bad for you. The broader context of this BIT OF FUN is the fact that the average British consumer is more concerned about health issues than ever before, and sales of stuff like crisps, chocolate and burgers are being hit accordingly. Marketing people have obviously noticed this, and what’s going on is an attempt to persuade men that eating complete shite is an essential part of male identity. My guess is that the healthy eating trend is more driven by female consumers and so the companies selling unhealthy food are trying to shore up their core market by stressing the very things that might turn non-core buyers off (a bit like when the Tories picked Iain Duncan Smith as a leader).
This is a bit cynical and irresponsible, but contrary to the increasing sanctimony of public statements by food producers, most of them aren’t actually that bothered about yr physical well-being (gasp!). How to counter it? Maybe the government could rebrand fruit and vegetables FOR MEN. Starting, obviously, with plums.
Not really anything to do with this, but I wonder if had seen this, Dr Marketing:
http://www.businessweek.com/print/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070308_915798.htm
Aargh.
Or a more reasoned response: show me a marketer who doesn’t secretly or openly think of themselves as a bit “edgy”.
Of course in this sense Marketing and (what happened to) Punk are perfect bedfellows.
In advertising goliath Ogilvy & Mather’s New York headquarters, an inspirational quote from Mr. Ogilvy himself is silkscreened onto the wall: “Change is our lifeblood – stagnation our death knell.” It has been there for at least six years.
I recently had to edit a “thinkpiece” at work which started one paragraph with the high-sounding mantra “In business as in life, the only constant is change”. I pointed out that the previous several paragraphs had been devoted to arguing that the specific market under discussion was subject to several deep constants which didn’t change. The writer seemed to see no contradiction in this whatsoever.
Are Yorkie back on the Manwagon? They’re definitely who I think of as the progenitor of it (or the ‘cheeky’ end of it, I’m sure there was a certain amount of “there seems to be some confusion, we reassure our customers that our products are not suitable for womanly sensibilities”, say a century ago).
And why does it need to be countered, my impression was that it didn’t work, that all Yorkie’s “Not for girls” campaign really achieved was to cut down on the number of girls buying it. Mind you I heard that from people who are an easy mark for anti-marketing urban legends.
I don’t know if the Yorkie campaign worked or not – I think they’re still doing it but Yorkie is a bit sickly so I haven’t bought one in ages.
Anyway there’s a difference in emphasis between “Not for girls” and “For proper blokes”.
I really don’t get/agree with this kind of BRMANDING.
When does this sort of thing cross the line from Ridiculous to Offensive?
Like Andrew says above, Yorkie’s campaign may have reduced the numbers of girls (and discrimination-sensitive blokes) buying Yorkies, but Yorkies taste minging anyway. McCoys taste quite nice though so as an girl I am torn between boycotting said snack product to serve them right or to buy MORE of it to prove them wrong. Either way I can’t win, so I might just buy extra packets of Walkers instead.
Probing that distinction ridic/offens is exactly what they want to do. when they go over it they generate more press.
defining unmanly adtivities = it sounds pretty offensive already
I want Fathers for Justice to publically ask for sponsorship from these brands, it’s a win-win situation.
What about Coke Zero then? That’s definitely marketed at ‘proper blokes’ rather than big girlie diet coke with girlie girls in offices taking breaks to ogle handymen’s pecs.
I had been put off trying it cos of the abysmal ads but was forced to at my parents’ recently (they are very cruel like that) and lo! it was actually really quite nice, and indeed better than diet coke.
No-one eats McCoys outside of AN PUB – this is a science fact!
I used to love Yorkies, but I haven’t bought one since their offensive advertising informed me my money (as a woman) wasn’t good enough.
Very disappointed to find out that some of my favourite crisps will now have to be consigned to the scrapheap. Sad…
Starry Science Fact DISPROVED as I munch a packet of McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak crisps at 10:45 every morning with my Roobios tea!
Still I suppose it’s the equal and opposite reaction to the last decade and a half of female-friendly adverts where men are routinely depicted as nerds and/or berks and/or hopeless and/or impotent, most of which were dreamed up by male marketing directors.
mens crisps why dont you mahe a womens crisp for gods sake
this advert is plain wrong- it’s sending out the message that being feminine/ a woman is basically wrong.
and i bloody thought we were moving PAST the 1850s!
bad move, mccoys.
-*x*-
Thank you for the fun post; I linked to it from mine :)
mens crisps why dont you mahe a womens crisp for gods sake
what a bunch of pompous arseholes u all are, do u not have anything better to do with your time ? It’s only a fucking advert, get a life !
^ Typical mail.
looks like they did the ‘manly’ vegetable thing in the end.
http://www.babycarrots.com/
This is atrocious. I mean, the brand director is a woman?
They can be manly without having to say “man crisps”…
These guys have the right idea:
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/feed/september-2013/13/mccoys-man-crisps-by-btl-brands