The Book of Man: We’re selective over the brands we work with

Martin Robinson (left) and webinar host Alister Houghton

The Book of Man is very careful with the brands it chooses to partner with, its editor Martin Robinson revealed in our CisionMeets… webinar.

Robinson noted that while there are great opportunities for brands to work with the title across the theme of new masculinity, any partner would need to actively share this vision.

“The brands that we’re already working really get it and are giving new representation to men. It has to be those types of people, who understand what we’re all about,” Robinson said.

Robinson also discussed the purpose behind the website, the best ways for PRs to get his attention and the title’s growing events portfolio during the course of the hour-long the webinar.

Driving societal change

When discussing what the title was about and what it looks to cover, Robinson made clear that The Book of Man was more than just somewhere to host editorial content, its mission is to “help men by redefining masculinity”.

He stated that the website looked to challenge male stereotypes and discuss taboo subjects to help men to open up. Its ultimate goal, he added, was to help men to “work their way through” masculinity rather than aggressively trying to change everything about it.

Robinson said: “We’re not just looking at doing some nice stories, reviewing the latest movies and seeing what people are wearing. We want to have a real-life effect.”

Get to know the title

Robinson made clear that he was interested in any subject which could be linked to a new type of masculinity, joking that the site would cover topics as random and varied as vacuum cleaners or the pens people use if there was some relevance.

He revealed that the best way to work with him was to meet him in person, quipping that there were a variety of venues around the title’s offices in Peckham which offered coffee and brownies.

If meeting him wasn’t possible, Robinson added that he tried to answer as many emails as possible, but he would definitely respond to pitches from PRs who had made an effort to research and understand the website.

“The crucial thing is to know the website,” he said. “We’re a new site with a really specific angle about the changing world of men. Understanding that and pitching with that in mind is the way to reach us.”

A growing range of events

One area where the title is looking to continue to expand is its event programme, with Robinson noting that it had just finished hosting a 10 event series called the Festival of Masculinity, which featured sessions ranging from a talk about mental health to a penis gallery.

He argued that having a smaller, more nimble team meant that the title was able to organise more imaginative events because fewer people were trying to play devil’s advocate and find reasons not to follow-up ideas.

Robinson said that the brand was looking to host a number of all-day workshops which would incorporate similar themes and topics to those covered in its Festival of Masculinity.

As well as holding more events, Robinson revealed that The Book of Man was also looking to expand its reach by holding events across the UK, ensuring that the brand was escaping the London media bubble.

You can watch the full webinar on-demand by signing up here.