CHINA'S NEW MEN
Ever since the 1980's, the expression "Yin Sheng, Yang shuai" (in so many words- a crisis of masculinity) has been circulating in the Chinese media and other fora. There have been huge shifts in Chinese masculinity over the past decades. Coming out of the communist era, the working landscape quickly started diversifying and new aspirational models such as the "white collar”- or company man - appeared. With the rise of the millenials and Gen Y, China has seen an ever more nuanced range of male models appear, shaped by new forces such as liberalism and new gender roles on one hand, conservatism and nationalism on the other, as well as consumerism and alternative models.
Some uniquely Chinese male models are the "Xiao Xianrou" (little fresh meat), an effeminate man who has become an object of desire for women, and the Diaosi (looser) who takes pride in being a geek and lacking the house, car and great job that make a man 'worthy'... The new epicurean, a Chinese version of the metrosexual, is a confident self styled dresser and does not shy away from using makeup to enhance his assets and the new dad is increasingly seen on playgrounds taking and active and sometimes even main role in child-care.
We help our clients understand Chinese men and how to resonate with them:
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William Grant&Sons - we provided a target specific deep-delve in preparation for a brand launch in China. We explored new models of masculinity in China ; self-image, figureheads and KOL (Key Opinion Leaders), changing attitudes to luxury amongst men and specifically attitudes to alcohol. We also looked at media usage and optimal ways of targeting Chinese men.
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Maserati - we provided perspectives on the evolving male luxury consumer in China which fed into a 2 day workshop organised by consultancy Accenture ; we looked at China’s demographics and how they are changing, aspirations of different sub-groups in the luxury sector, shopping habits and media habits. These trends were then related to the car sector and translated into actionable insights.
