KEY TAKE OUTS
Don’t replace one stereotype with another. “We cannot go from one box to another box,” says Fernando Desouches, Managing Director of New Macho at BBD Perfect Storm, of the need for brands to broaden their representation, moving away from typifying men and instead equipping them with the adaptation needed to, “face and forge the future we need.”
Look to the future, not the past. For Desouches, he feels brands fall short when they focus on data based on how people felt in the past when what they should be focusing on is the future. This is where the opportunities lie if brands can fix their gaze on the changes happening to consumers and help to, as he says, “redefine the world”.
What should brands do? Desouches offers several pieces of advice for brands but opens by explaining that first and foremost; “brands shouldn’t tell men how they need to behave.” What they should be doing is representing their audience; help men understand the journey they’re on; and open up the definition of success. Ultimately, believes Desouches, “brands can help men to navigate life.”
Redefine what aspiration looks like. For too long, the parameters of what has been aspirational for men have been limited to fixed stereotypes, underpinning society for centuries. Desouches wants to see brands unpacking what is actually aspirational to men today and conveying that in their marketing and through their behaviour as a brand.
To read a full write up of the event, visit the dedicated BITE page, Masculinity in crisis