What Men Want

Men aren't mysterious. We aren't hard to figure out. Real men want a dozen simple things. Marketers who want men customers should target two or more of men's desires.

Babes

Men want babes. That is obvious. Men are visually stimulated and love to look at beautiful women. Hooters is a very successful business built around our desire for babes. It also fills the "grill food" desire.

Strength

Men want to be strong. Why? To attract babes and to be able to compete better against other men. Since 1929, Charles Atlas has successfully made a business of making men stronger. They famously "made a man out of Mac".

Better Sex

Men want better sex. We want it more often and with longer pleasure. Viagra isn't the only business built on the desire for better sex; there are thousands of websites, books, and aphrodisiacs on the market.

Explosions

Men want explosions. We love demolition and destruction. It's a big part of what makes action movies so popular. Ever had a problem finding volunteers to tear something down? No. If a building or other structure is going to be blown up, will hundreds of men watch? Yes. Advertising doesn't make much use of explosions or destruction. Pity.

Gadgets

Men want the newest gizmo. From the biggest plasma TV to the smallest cell phone, we've got to have it. Sharper Image is one large retail chain that exploits this desire. Make your product the newest, biggest, smallest, most techo thing.

Vehicles

Fast cars, big trucks, and powerful boats. We want them. And then we want the next better one. Why? So we can show them off to our babes and out-compete other men. Gotta go.

Competition

Competition is behind all the other desires. We want what other men don't have. Or sometimes we want to take what they have. Sports teams, sports programming on television, and the online poker craze are just the tip of the competition industry iceberg. Let's fight for it.

Grill Food

Yes, men love to eat. But not just any food. We want real man fuel - hot off the grill. The sound of sizzling meat is one of life's simple pleasures. As already mentioned, Hooters has built a big business by combining babes and grill food.

Booze

Got to have booze with our grill food. And with our women. Liquor-up those babes and let's have fun. Booze is a lubricant for all the other desires; so it's no surprise that the alcohol industry is huge.

Dogs

Man's best friend. Nuff said.

Tools

We love tools. With the right tool, a man can do anything. That's why the hardware store makes a real man so happy. Use tools in your marketing. Give your product "tool" toughness and style to generate sales.

The Great Outdoors

The house is the woman's domain. The great outdoors is for men. It's why we like camping and surfing and all that stuff. Even so, the outdoors theme in advertising is overdone. If you're going to use it, make sure you use a truly spectacular and unusual wilderness setting. Our vehicles take us outdoors. We grill outdoors. And our dogs like to run around outside.

The James Bond books and movies included 5 of men's basic desires: babes, explosions, gadgets, vehicles and booze. Bond became an international icon. Are you doing as well? How many of men's desires are you satisfying?