10 Brands That Prove Pinterest Can Reach Men

If you haven’t been keeping up with Pinterest lately, you may have missed a couple of major developments. For starters, Pinterest is accelerating its advertising efforts by using Promoted Pins. Anna Ta, Product Manager, stated “Promoted Pins are just like regular Pins—the only difference is that a business paid to have more people see it.” That’s pretty self-explanatory, right?

If you recall, Pinterest tinkered with Promoted Pins for six months last year and this experiment seems to be going into 2015. According to Marketing Land, “advertisers will not be able to specifically buy placement on home feeds.” Instead, “they can target a category related to the item. Ads will be displayed on home feeds of users who Pinterest determines are interested in a category, but only if the pins meet certain performance metrics (presumably some combination of Repins and clicks).”

As if that announcement wasn’t enough, Pinterest also has its sights on a new demographic: men.

Screenshot DIY Network/Man Caves on Pinterest

As most of us are already aware, Pinterest is heavily favored by women. In fact, according to research from RJ Metrics, 80% of Pinterest users are female. Even more interesting is that 92% of all the pins (or shares) on Pinterest are also made by women. Furthermore, Pew Research discovered 42% of online women in the United States are Pinterest users. As the Wall Street Journal, “Pinterest Inc. hit the demographic jackpot after it launched four years ago, becoming the digital scrapbook du jour for blushing brides, arts and crafts enthusiasts, and home decorators hunting for ideas and inspiration.”

While that plan has worked, Pinterest has begun to become more gender neutral by improving search results with a feature called Guided Search. According to Peter Yin on the official announcement, “If you do a lot of searching on Pinterest, you may already have noticed the results you’re seeing are better than ever.”

He goes on to add that, “For example, say you’re looking for a new watch. Before when you searched Pinterest for “watches,” your results would include mostly women’s timepieces. But now, men will see Pins and guides inspired by what other guys have Pinned, and everybody’s results should feel a lot closer to what they’re looking for.”

So why would Pinterest begin to have more of an interest with men?

Pew discovered even though only 13% of online men in the U.S. use Pinterest, it did have a 8% increase from the previous year. Additionally, data from comScore has reported that men are “the site’s fastest-growing demographic and the ratio is less skewed in emerging markets.”

In short, Pinterest might actually be able to reach the male demographic. In fact, some brands have already proven that to be the case. So, if you’re a brand looking to tap into your male consumers, check out what the following ten brands have been doing on Pinterest.

GQ Magazine

Screenshot GQ Style on Pinterest 1/28/2015

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the monthly publication formerly known as Gentlemen’s Quarterly would have a solid Pinterest presence – it actually has almost 572,000 followers on Pinterest. The reason that GQ and Pinterest get along so well is that New York-based magazine shares high quality images that focus on popular Pinterest topics like style and food.

The GQ Style board, for example, features images from recent fashion events, the best pieces of clothing to purchase right now and advice that includes useful information like how to overhaul your closet.

Stone Brewing Co.

Screenshot Stone Brewing Co. on Pinterest 1/28/15

Headquartered in Escondido, California, Stone Brewing Co. has been dubbed a “world-class brewery” by the two largest beer enthusiast websites, RateBeer and BeerAdvocate. Furthermore, Beer Advocate readers have voted the brewery as the “#1 “All Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth.”

Besides making quality craft beer, Stone Brewing Co. also has a top-notch Pinterest account. Stone has created 28 boards that showcase everything from the products being sold, images of the brewery, recipes, and even a guide to craft beer. Stone also has a board dedicated to inspiring interior designs and decor found in the company’s hometown of San Diego. Clearly, Stone Brewing Co. gets the potential of Pinterest.

Victorinox

Screenshot Victorinox on Pinterest 1/28/15

If the brand name Victorinox doesn’t sound familiar, then maybe you’ll recognize them as the makers of “The Original Swiss Army Knife.” In fact, Victorinox is the biggest manufacturer of pocket knives in the world. But, the company manufactures more than just their famous multipurpose pocket knives.

And, that’s what Victorinox uses Pinterest for. On top of those iconic Swiss Army Knives, Victorinox also sells fragrances and timepieces, which are proudly showcased on Pinterest. Other boards include vintage ads, highlights from company events, and a very cool visual history of the evolution of the Swiss Army Knife from the last 130 years.

Harley-Davidson

Screenshot Harley-Davidson on Pinterest 1/28/15

Believe it or not, Harley-Davidson has one heck of Pinterest account. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer has 26 boards that cover your typical topics. For example, the Harley Pinterest account highlights its new Bikes, products and allows owners to show off their Harleys.

What really makes Harley’s Pinterest account pop is that it manages to cater to the female demographic that frequents Pinterest. This includes having a board that features women who ride motorcycles and women’s Harley. The account also has boards that tap into various seasons to get owners excited about hitting the road.

Art of Manliness

Screenshot Art of Manliness on Pinterest 1/28/15

For those uninitiated, the Art of Manliness happens to be one of the largest men’s lifestyle websites in the world. The site boasts that it has more than 15 million pageviews and nearly 160K daily subscribers. Because the site focuses on helping men “become the best men they can be in all aspects of their lives,” it’s not shocking that it would use images to draw visitors back to its website.

With just one board, appropriately titled ‘Manly Stuff,’ the Art of Manliness shares visual how-guides, the latest manly products, humorous images, and vintage shots of men being manly from back in the day.

Lowe’s

Screenshot Lowe’s on Pinterest 1/28/15

The big box home improvement store from North Carolina should not be a surprise inclusion on this list. After all, many of its 65 boards are centered around do it yourself projects for the home – such as home decor, gardening tips, and inspiring ideas for the bathroom or kitchen.

Lowe’s, however, also has a handful of boards that are geared towards men. These include a board dedicated to grilling, ideas for tailgating, and there’s also a Gifts From Him board if you want to drop hints on future presents.

Sports Illustrated

Screenshot Sports Illustrated on Pinterest 1/28/15

The iconic sports media franchise is read by roughly 23 million people each week, and over 13,000 followers on Pinterest. So, why wouldn’t SI want to continue its media dominance by having a presence on as many channels as possible?

With 20 boards, Sports Illustrated separates its content by specific sport, the cover story, news, vintage athletes, fan submitted pictures, and, of course, select images from its popular Swimsuit edition. However, SI also taps into the Pinterest community by having a Sports & Style board, a Super Bowl Recipe Book and images of sports pets.

Dollar Shave Club

Screenshot Dollar Shave Club on Pinterest 1/28/15

Dollar Shave Club’s marketing campaign has become a thing of legend. After releasing it’s now infamous YouTube video in   March 2012, the company received 12,000 orders in a two-day span – it also won “Best Out-of-Nowhere Video Campaign” at the 2012 AdAge Viral Video Awards and has been viewed over 17 million times. The company has done a solid job of content marketing overall by utilizing social media to share comical images, assist customers with any questions and by showing its support for causes like colon cancer.

The Dollar Shave Club Pinterest account is another example of how the Venice, California, company has perfected its marketing campaign. Boards include DSC products, reviews, videos, and member spotlights. The most interesting, and yet somehow fitting, boards are the brand’s favorite bathrooms and submitted images of graffiti spotted in public restrooms.

Maker’s Mark

Screenshot Maker’s Mark on Pinterest 1/28/15

Here’s another great example of a manly brand that has embraced the Pinterest community. The 28 boards created by the Kentucky bourbon include recipes for cocktails, baking and grilling, as well as behind the scenes images of the distillery and makers.

Things get interesting after you view the Bourbon Inspired Wedding and 101 Uses of a Maker’s Mark Bottle boards. Other boards include tips for hosting a bourbon tasting and the latest products from the brand with the distinctive dipped red wax seal.

DIY Network

Screenshot DIY Network on Pinterest 1/28/15

Ever since 1999, the DIY Network has helped homeowners with projects they could do on their own. Because the network emphases on DIY projects, it just makes sense that it would use Pinterest to share home improvement, home repair, and gardening tips. In fact, the DIY Network has more than 186,000 followers.

While male visitors can find these tips extremely useful, the Man Cave board is one that they’ll really get behind. I mean who wouldn’t want to convert kegs in barstools?

Conclusion

There’s been no doubt over the last few years that Pinterest has serious potential for brands. Up until now, however, it’s been a platform where men just don’t venture. That’s all changing with the new Guided Search feature. Instead of waiting around for more male visitors, get ahead of the competition and begin creating content that is more gender neutral.

And, if you want to create your own manly boards, check out these thirty suggestions from Business 2 Community.

Have you noticed any brands on Pinterest that have done an excellent job at welcoming its male customers?

Featured Image: Michael Deal and Juan Carlos Pagan via Wikipedia