The research, featured in the report Connecting with men: How brands can decode modern masculinity, found a 37 percentile point improvement in long-term brand equity when adverts included positive portrayals of men over negative ones.

For short-term brand equity, there was a 21 percentile point improvement for positive portrayals of masculinity, Kantar said.

The research also found that more than twice as many LGBTQ+ men feel negatively represented by advertising ( 20%) compared with non-LGBTQ+ men ( 8%).

In addition, 30% of men with a thinking or learning disability feel poorly represented, along with 20% of men with mental health conditions and 16% of men with any disability.

In contrast, only 7% of men with no disability felt they were poorly represented in advertising. 

Two thirds of men in adverts are under 40, over-represented younger men and often neglecting older experiences, the research found.

Kantar’s analysis found that only 24% of baby product ads are tested with men and 15% of ad testing in home care seeks feedback from men.

Despite 40% of men using skin care products, 91% of creative testing focuses only on women, the research found.

Kantar engagement data also showed that that likes on Andrew Tate’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) have dropped by 42% between 2022/23 and 2023/24 and reposts are down 27%, which the company said suggests many of Tate’s social media followers might be monitoring his output but not necessarily supporting his views.

Věra Šídlová, global creative thought leadership director at Kantar, said: “Men want to see more authentic and nuanced portrayals of themselves. Brands that let go of old stereotypes will not only build stronger connections but also drive real growth and positive change.

“Whether showing men as caregivers, emotionally aware partners or self-reflective individuals, brands that evolve with these changes can make a real impact in society and on the bottom line, as customers see themselves in their marketing and form a more meaningful connection.”