Unboxing Masculine Marketing

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships between masculinity and marketing, especially regarding cosmetic products, a typically female industry. It has a social constructionist approach with a case study including in-depth interviews and virtual observation. One of the main findings of this study is the fact that marketing has to be different for men, especially concerning cosmetic products. The degree of adaptation highly depends on the culture of the men. Furthermore the study detected that often the women targeted for male cosmetic products due to several reasons. A lack of knowledge about gender marketing among companies can be noticed. By utilizing the gender differences, a company could develop a beneficial marketing strategy. This thesis provides knowledge about gender marketing and how this information can optimize the marketing strategies. A model is developed that facilitates the role of masculinity in marketing. More precisely, a tool for using masculinity when marketing typically female products, such as cosmetics, is provided.