In my first “5 brands to watch” newsletter I focused on women’s brands. I got a few requests to do a men’s edition of this concept, so here it is!
A lot of mens brands are more focused on fit and functionality, so there is more “traditional DTC storytelling” going on in these ads.
I think that all brands can learn from this; even fashion-driven brands should build mythology around a few of their products.
First, I want to thank this week's sponsor: Inventory Planner by Sage. If you're still doing planning in a spreadsheet, you're leaving money on the table. Inventory Planner's software is informed by decades of retail expertise to help you maximize the ROI of your product assortment.
Quick note: I got several replies on the first edition of the newsletter telling me the links to the ads were not working.
They DO work, but they can (unfortunately) take up to 45 seconds to load, especially if you’re clicking ‘em right when the newsletter hits your inbox (because everyone is doing it at the same time).
#1: Mott & Bow
This is one of the OG direct to consumer brands, selling designer-quality jeans to men and women without the designer markup. I actually interviewed for a role here circa 2018, but received an offer from Tibi before completing the process.
In the intervening years Mott & Bow has pivoted from a “fashion” focus to a focus on comfort and fit, especially in their men’s advertising.
These ads tackle the “millennial infomercial” format from multiple angles–great examples of the form.
Here are some ads I really like:
Ad Link 1, Ad Link 2, Ad Link 3
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#2: The Perfect Jean
What I love about this brand is that they’re not afraid to go there in terms of speaking to their target market. They leverage humor and hyperbole in a category that tends to take itself wayyy to seriously.
These ads have great hooks. Who knew there were this many ways to talk about jeans?
Here are some ads I really like:
Ad Link 1, Ad Link 2, Ad Link 3
#3: JAXXON
JAXXON’s product has a unique positioning: classic men’s jewelry (gold chain) that can stand up to sweat and moisture, and costs under $300. They bring this to life in various ways within the ad account, most notably by featuring famous athletes in some of the ads.
Maybe you can’t afford to get soccer (football?) stars or MMA champions in your ads, but this brand is a great illustration of the power of positioning and perceived value.
Here are some ads I really like:
Ad Link 1, Ad Link 2, Ad Link 3
#4: I Love Ugly
Real talk: I had never heard about this brand until I started research for this newsletter. But they do a great job of applying the principles covered in the women’s edition.
This brand doesn’t have a ton of functional attributes to promote, but they maximize their Meta opportunity by iterating on best sellers and using content that feels platform-native.
Here are some ads I really like:
Ad Link 1, Ad Link 2, Ad Link 3
#5: Huckberry
Shockingly, it was harder to find men’s “fashion” brands that played with platform-native formats vs finding women’s brands that did the same. A lot of men’s fashion brands just run catalog-style photo shoots and call it a day.
Huckberry is one of the exceptions. They use TikTok-style content formats to do deeper storytelling around core styles. IMO they have some great examples of how men’s brands can dip a toe into these waters without diluting the brand.
Here are some ads I really like:
Ad Link 1, Ad Link 2, Ad Link 3
That’s it for this edition of the series! Reply to this email if you have ideas for other categories you’d like me to cover.