Solvil et Titus, a luxury watch brand with roots in Switzerland, is not only regarded as one of the Asia’s favourite brand but also considered a symbol of love and romantic expression. Its success factor in Asia lies in its romantic Time is Love advertising campaigns or its branding strategy.

The video above is one of its famous romantic Time is Love advertising campaigns that are consindered as the classics of Hong Kong’s advertising industry. It is a touching story that is in line with Titus’ Antiquity theme, and its slogan Time is Love. 

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Semir, a Chinese clothing brand, came out with two commercials to promote their  S/S 2013 season.
There are two versions: one for female and another for males.

I think these commercials have three success factors.

1. Lee Min Ho, a well-known Korean actor, is a brand in himself. Having him in the commercial will attact a lot of fans all over the Asia as well as the world. So the clothing commercial has a huge potential to turn the fans into the customers.
2. Two languages, Chinese and Korean, are used. Although the target market is more likely to be the Chinese-speakers, the ads can definitely attract the Asian market due to the influence from the increasing popularity of Korean-dramas and Korean-music in Asia.
3. The “romance” story line is pretty interesting as it tries to define what summer means to people, with the same question “what is summer” on repeats here and there to remind the audience of the idea of the “summer”.

Overall, the commercial is fairly youthful, implying that the target market is most likely to be the younger generations from 13/14 to even late 20s and mid 30s.

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“Taking PRIDE and taking greater CONFIDENCE from maintaining a well-groomed APPEARANCE now defines what it is to be ‘a MAN’ in today’s society” — HSBC

“Men who buy grooming products to boost self-esteem or feel more attractive are now in the majority.” — Mintel researcher

Yummies, according to a HSBC’s research team, refers to young (20-something), urban males who are very much interested in and concerned with personal grooming and health. So what does it mean? It essentially means that many young men are more into looks and styles and that appearance has become a bigger part of who they are or their identity. It also implies that now it is a “NEW norm” for a young smartphone-carrying man to do the followings:

1. care more about whether Lancom or Clinique is better for his skin
2. shop frequently at places like Nordstrom, checking out Armani Exchange for shirts and pants, Michael Kors for suits and Gucci for shoes.
3. pamper himself at a spa
4. work diligently and persistently on his mind and body by hitting the gym and attending  yoga/meditation (or dance) classes
5. do groceries at WholeFoods, grabbing kale, avocado, acai berries and quinoa
6. cook and serve themselves some delicious and yet very healthy meals

So what does this new norm or reality REALLY mean? Well, it means more goods and services FOR MEN in terms of an increase in both product breadth and depth.

Guardian reported that according to HSBC, whether it is cosmetics, outdoor sports, fashion or accessories, male purchases have really started to impact overall growth rates.

Also Business Insider mentioned Bain’s report from last year which stated that men account for 40% of the total luxury market and the demand for menswear products keeps on growing.

According to Bloomberg, Michael Kors is hoping to grow its annual menswear revenue to $1 billion, which would amount to almost a sevenfold increase while Coach is close to that goal, having expanded its sales to men from $100 million in 2010 to about $700 million today.

Moreover, increasing in popularity are the fashion magazines, websites and blogs exclusively for Men such as GQ, Askmen, Four Pins and Fashionbeans. Men’s love for their appearance has also invaded Youtube where there are workout, skincare and even makeup tutorials.

It seems that young men seem to have an ample amount of time and money to take greater care of themselves and their lives. The reason being, according to Bloomberg, is that a lot of men are marrying later in life these days, freeing up income in their twenties that would otherwise have gone to supporting a family.

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