"Marketing Masculinity: For Years Advertisers Have Been Ignoring or Misunderstanding the Needs of the Modern Successful Man and They Are Losing Out on Potentially Huge Profits," Financial Times (Gary Silverman), July 5, 2005

… Marian Salzman, director of strategic content at WPP’s JWT advertising agency, will publish a book later this year called The Future of Men, which will make the case that today’s successful man finds his greatest pleasure in experiences rather than things.

Ms. Salzman’s underlying view of men is somewhat sunnier than that of the McCann report. She argues that men have "been reborn as thinking, feeling, aesthetic creatures."

But her conclusions are similar. The more successful a man is, the more likely he is to embrace "deep hobbies" that will make him seem more interesting to others.

"The ultimate luxury is conversational currency," says Ms. Salzman …

"Sifting Garbage to Find Faces of Man," The Sydney Morning Herald (John Huxley), June 11, 2005

Barely two years after he was discovered—alive and well and living it up in Sydney—metrosexual man may be facing extinction. That, or he is just moving on as confused males everywhere seek new ways of expressing their masculinity, their essential "M-ness."

So says an international trendspotter, Marian Salzman, the sassy, savvy New Yorker credited with identifying straight, urban males suddenly doing "decidedly gay" things: taking an interest in fashion, fragrances and skin-care products.

… So, what next for men? More choices, says Salzman. More opportunities, especially perhaps for men with metro tendencies to "cherry pick" qualities which re-empower, redefine maleness, without incurring ridicule. More varied role models, from "uber-sexuals" such as Arnold Schwarzenegger to those the Californian Governor would call "girlie men," such as the popularly "pretty" actor Orlando Bloom.


"Ads Take Bite Out of Political Sensitivity; Marketers Boldly Aim for Young Men," USA Today (Theresa Howard), June 1, 2005

"This is going to be the summer when guys re-embrace guyness," says Marian Salzman, trendspotter at ad agency [JWT] and author of The Future of Men, due in September. "It’s exactly two years after the ‘metrosexual,’ and it’s a logical backlash against something that was too extreme. It’s not going to be armpits and farts. It’s going to be a lot more sensible."

Sensible in guy-speak means less potty humor and more attitude and irony—and maybe sex. It does not mean that it won’t offend the politically correct …


"For Today’s Male, It’s Time for a Makeover—Societal Changes, Says Marian Salzman, Have Left Men Unfulfilled and Their Roles Ambiguous," DNR (Georgia Lee), May 9, 2005

It’s not a good time to be a guy.

According to Marian Salzman, author of the new book The Future of Men, the gender revolution of the past 50 years has left today’s men dazed and confused over their roles in a society where women seem to be increasingly on top.

"Men are suffering from a loss of control and prestige," said Salzman, a trendspotter credited with identifying the "metrosexual" male a few years ago. "Advertising and media portrayals of men have gone from 'Father Knows Best' to 'The Man Who Knows Nothing.'”

… The whole concept of maleness—including dressing, grooming and communication skills—needs a makeover.

Enter the latest buzzword: the “Ubersexual” and the “Age of M-ness.”

The new male is unafraid of romance and sensuality, and can talk fine wine or pima cotton shirts and sheets. Male consumers, searching for more-intense experiences and relationships with self and others, want brands that can communicate passion, though not necessarily sex …


"Women Aspire to Be Housewives—without Any of the Housework; They Look At the Realities of Paid Work—the Stress, the Politics—and Say It Would Mean Less ‘Me’ Time," The Daily Telegraph (Sarah Womack), May 11, 2004

Mothers are rejecting equality in the workplace and prefer the idea of becoming full-time housewives—but not ones who actually do housework. This is the overall conclusion of research among 2,100 British adults that says women are happy to abandon the workplace but not if it means spending all day at home cooking, cleaning and looking after children. Instead they want to play the "role" of housewife with a little help from, for instance, a nanny, and someone who does the ironing. And unlike Kylie Minogue, they don’t want to do any dusting either. The report, by Marian Salzman … describes these women as princess-style "domestic divas" who effectively exploit their husbands. "Today, ‘women’s lib’ means wanting to be liberated from the intense pressures of the modern-day working mum,"
she said. "And what we’re seeing is a serious gender divide regarding women in the workplace …”


"The Ugly Truth About ‘Yummy Mummies,’" The Edmonton Journal (Misty Harris), May 9, 2004

… Unlike its earlier incarnation, which combined the supermodel with the supermom, the new yummy mummy is decidedly less appealing.

… She’s more concerned with spin classes, shopping and playing Ivana to her husband’s Donald than being a mother. And though she may be devoted to her family, this woman considers children a part-time hobby, not a round-the-clock job.

"She’s not a milk-and-cookies mom," says Marian Salzman … "There’s some criticism that she spends too much time believing the L’Oreal ads that she’s worth it, and not necessarily doing the dirty job of being a full-time mom."


"Met*ro*sex*u*al; (Me’tro sek’shoo l) N. Cosmopolitan Male Who Loves Clothes and Grooming," St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Allyce Bess), September 14, 2003

The term metrosexual was coined by British journalist Mark Simpson. He developed it in 1994 in a book on male identity and used it in a more recent article published online. He says he meant it as both a "cold observation" and "cheeky satire."

"I used (metrosexual) to describe a kind of narcissistic, insecure masculinity shaped, if not invented, by film, advertising and glossy magazines," said Simpson in an e-mailed response to questions.

The metrosexual, Simpson suggests, is more vain and self-indulgent than he is feminine or sensitive.

The real ballyhoo started early this summer when one of the largest marketing firms in the world … did a study on the "future of men" in the United States and proclaimed: Most American men are leaning toward metrosexuality.

"We saw an emerging wave of men who chafe against the restrictions of traditional male boundaries," Marian Salzman, chief strategy officer at the firm, said in an e-mailed response to a question about why the study was done. "They want to do what they want, buy what they want, enjoy what they want—regardless of whether some people might consider these things unmanly …”


"Culture," Australian Financial Review (Catherine Fox), September 12, 2003

Even though she is in the business of identifying and sending out the word on trends, Marian Salzman was surprised at how quickly the term "metrosexual" took off. But the story of how a new way of describing young, urban, hip, heterosexual males ricocheted around the world is a perfect example of another term Salzman has helped coin: "buzz."

… Buzz is the phenomenon that used to be called word of mouth, and it’s also the name of the new book Salzman, along with colleagues Ira Matathia and Ann O’Reilly, has written (Buzz: Harness the Power of Influence and Create Demand, Wiley, 2003).

… The book outlines the power of buzz marketing and the way new trends—from clothing to music—are identified by key early adopters, dubbed the "alphas," and then spread by the "bees." Alphas are risk-takers and can be easily spotted when shopping, Salzman says, because they never take a friend with them for affirmation. They are literate, verbal and curious, particularly intellectually …


"Metrosexuals Are the New Style Makers; Marketers Cherish Feminized Men Who Embrace Esthetics and Like to Stand Out," San Diego Union-Tribune (Warren St. John—New York Times News Service), July 7, 2003

There is no end to the curious new vanity products for young men, from a Maxim-magazine-branded hair colouring system to Axe, Unilever’s all-over body deodorant for guys. Men are going in for self-improvement strategies traditionally associated with women, including plastic surgery.

"Their heightened sense of esthetics is very, very pronounced," Marian Salzman … said of metrosexuals. "They’re the style makers. It doesn’t mean your average Joe American is going to copy everything they do," she added. "But unless you study these guys, you don’t know where Joe American is heading …”


"Q: Are You a Metrosexual Kind of Guy? If You Embrace Cooking, Fashion and Your Feelings, the Answer Is Yes," Chicago Tribune (Judy Hevrdejs), June 29, 2003

It was while they were digging around in the "what are men feeling" territory late last year that the Euro RSCG folks "picked up on the problem that [men] felt like the media wasn’t showing them any respect," according to … Marian Salzman, during a phone conversation from London.

"It was kind of this red flag that said, hang on—is there something else going on here? Like what’s driving the key trends in the marketplace? And why do men somehow feel they are being marginalized and misunderstood by sitcoms and by pop culture?" added Salzman, one of the study’s architects …