The research was devised to look closely at the ‘Changing Role of Men’, and found that, in terms of brands that “resonate†with the male population, Microsoft edged it over old rival Apple.
The study made an interview with boomers (born 1946-1964), Gen Xers (born 1965-1979), and Millennials (born (1980-2000), tallying up to a sum total of 1,509 men for the November 2013 study. Each participant was given a list of brands, ranging from Starbucks, McDonalds’s Coca Cola, Levi’s and Nike. With each different group of men, Microsoft proved a more popular choice than Apple, and was comprehensively favored over the Cupertino, California-based brand.
Annalect conducted primary research amongst consumers to explore the changing role of men in American society. This study aims to understand the modern man from a gender and generational perspective. Specifically, the research addresses the following questions:
- What are consumers’ perceptions of men’s roles within today’s society?
- What are men’s roles in the household?
- How involved are men in the purchase decision-making process across categories?
Annalect also found that when it comes to making purchases such as computers, video games consoles, digital media devices, televisions and wearable technology, males tend to be the dominant decision-makers, with more than half of those questioned making the selection without conferring with other members of the household. In fact, with regards to computers, only two percent of men actually step back and allow somebody else go ahead and make the key judgment, which does go to show, if anything, that us males are very precious over our beloved machines.
