Men Shop for Groceries, And Food Companies Are Noticing

A host of food companies that traditionally marketed to women are waking up to the fact that men, too, shop for groceries. To lure these potential customers in, manufacturers are putting a decidedly masculine spin on some packaging. Powerful Yogurt provides “active men with superior protein source.” MillerCoors’ hard cider is made “in the fine tradition of making things strong.” Stumptown Coffee’s cold brew is presented in a beer-like bottle and marketed as a potential “mixer with one of your favorite spirits.”

Here’s Slate with a bit more on the Powerful Yogurt campaign, the most in-your-face of these examples:

What makes it different from any other Greek-style yogurt currently on the market? According to the company, its “man-sized” 8-oz. portion size containing a super-charged 25 grams of protein and zero fat.

The company has chosen a bold red-and-black packaging design with ab-like contours on the side of its larger-than-average container to echo the brand’s “find your inner abs” tagline.

So why the sudden surge of testosterone-touting packaging? As Quartz explains, a recent Midan Marketing survey of 900 men found that 47 percent say they do the majority of grocery shopping and cooking in their home. In the marketing world, these “Manfluencers™” translate as potential customers. So far, the  formula most of those companies have settled on includes dark, bold packaging, bigger “man-sized” portions and use of the words “stronger” and “protein,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

More from Smithsonian.com:

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Rachel Nuwer | | READ MORE

Rachel Nuwer is a freelance science writer based in Brooklyn.