Affiliate Spotlight: AdPurp & Men’s Journal Partnership

As you know by now, partnership marketing is all about, well, partnerships.  Despite having over 130k active affiliate connections, we value spending time with and keeping our finger on the pulse of all our publishers. 

That’s why we had an insightful chat with a long-standing publisher of Advertise Purple’s, Men’s Journal.

If you’re an adventure traveler looking for a skydiving hotspot, a new dad who wants to blast your abs with a fresh workout, or a tech-obsessed gear junkie searching for the coolest gadgets, then you’ve definitely come across content from this crew.

Established in 1992, Men’s Journal is the premier publication for men seeking expert information about travel, style and tech, as well as advice on health, fitness and wellness. 

In their nearly thirty years of existence, they’ve established themselves as a valued resource for its audience of over four million unique monthly website visitors and seven million social media followers. 

With an average reader income of over six figures, Men’s Journal is a must-have partner for any brand wishing to connect with an upscale male audience with an interest in health and adventure. 

Since 2013, AdPurp has worked hand in hand with MJ, introducing exciting new advertisers into their mix to keep spectacular product-focused content flowing.

We spoke with Kara Kamenec, the senior director of e-commerce for Men’s Journal and A360 Media, to catch up on the latest consumer marketing trends she’s observed this holiday season. 

AP: What do you see as the biggest consumer trends in Men’s Journal as we enter Q4 and the holiday shopping season?

KK: The biggest trend that we’re seeing on the men’s side right now is that comfort is in. There’s just way less tolerance for clothing and shoes that aren’t comfortable to wear. Anything that isn’t cozy or comfortable isn’t gaining traction right now.

AP: So skinny jeans are out and sweat pants are in?

KK: Exactly. Like Lulu Lemon has these pants that look like dress pants but feel like sweatpants. So items that are multi-functional but feel good to wear are doing really well. 

AP: What recent consumer trends have surprised you?

KK: One of the interesting trends I’m seeing is that a lot of fitness brands that are oriented towards women are selling really well on the men’s side right now. Things like pink water bottles with cutesy names and flat-tummy gummies are sometimes selling better on the men’s side than the women’s. 

Right now, consumers are making purchase decisions based more on what the product does as opposed to how it’s branded. 

AP: What are the emerging trends that you’re keeping your eye on now?

KK: Self-care is very big on the men’s side. Products that deal with acne or bloating are doing very well. Also, eye creams and teeth whitening products are big. These used to be difficult to sell on the men’s side but now they’re becoming hot products. 

AP: You look at thousands of products a year for Men’s Journal. What’s one product that you think every man should have?

KK: We have this cooling underwear from Artic Cool that does really, really well, which surprised me. We’ve also done other variations, like cooling shirts and even cooling socks. They’re moisture absorbent and have a cooling effect and men absolutely love them. 

AP: Men’s Journal has been working with  Advertise Purple since 2013. How is the synergy between our teams as we move into the 2021 holiday season?

KK: Everything has been great. The AdPurp team has done a fantastic job of connecting us with the brands that we want. I’ve been impressed with the high level of organization and everyone has been very responsive to our requests. You’ve lined up a lot of great products for us and we think it’s going to be an outstanding Q4.

Thank you to Kara and the team over at Men’s Journal!