• by Keith Richman , October 21, 2008

Despite the increasing interest in online advertising, there remains a perception that brands can target men best by hitting them on the couch while they're staring at the tube. But old viewing habits are changing faster than people think.

To get a better sense for this shift, we commissioned a study to understand men ages 18-34 and to better gauge their thoughts on online advertising. The results clearly demonstrate that you need to reach them online with a variety of ad types, engagement and humor.

We surveyed 500 men ages 18-34, with the help of Hall and Partners, and found that the Internet is far more essential to men's daily lives than TV. Nearly 70%, for instance, said they could not live without the Internet, compared with about 30% who said the same thing about TV. In addition, 40% of men polled indicated that they use the Internet for nearly a full day (22 hours) every week, often for entertainment and socializing. These findings support the notion that the Internet now rivals television as the primary destination for content consumption, within this demographic.

Nearly 60% said they notice online ads, and nearly half said they have purchased a product as a result of an online ad. Those are powerful numbers in today's economy and in an era when the Internet and television networks are battling for marketing dollars. Our findings also found that mobile is the up-and-coming platform, with nearly two-thirds of the respondents saying they own a smart phone, and a quarter saying they surf the Web from a mobile device. The wave of Web-surfing via mobile devices is also gathering momentum, and we predict exponential growth in demand for mobile Web entertainment and information during the next 12-24 months.

When crafting a message, it is clear that men will always be men. In 1902, a book called "Successful Advertising: How to Accomplish It" advised in a chapter on advertising to men:

"He wants a quick story, interestingly told....a joke or a wee bit of humor helps the ad once in a while. But humor must be used right." Those words have staying power 106 years later. Our survey found that not only does humor rank among the top video preference, but men were also more receptive to ads that were incorporated into contests or had interactive components. Humor a century ago was the chief way to engage men; today it's that plus more literal engagement activities. Brands that embrace and create campaigns specific to the digital space will better reach men, ages 18-34.

Through this research we wanted to create a guide for advertisers looking to validate online ad spend and determine the best creative ad formats to help drive engagement and build brands. Clearly the online medium is delivering the message. With more men spending more time with the growing online medium, brands that want to reach the male 18-34 consumer must make online advertising part of their marketing mix.