Something @cambridgeguy wrote really resonated with me.
Ever since I first found men’s thong swimwear on the early web, I have never felt like the target demographic. I love the products, but the marketing rarely speaks to me.
If your ideal brand existed, what would they include in their collection and how would they market their swimwear?
A few rules to keep things constructive and on-topic:
Don’t criticize any real brands. Criticism is okay in other topics, but I think it would detract more than it would add to this discussion.
Focus on what you would like to see rather than what you don’t like about existing marketing styles.
Assume that your hypothetical brand is a boutique label that only carries swimwear.
If what Tinkerbro said is the consensus in the gay community, it looks like most brands selling men’s thongs are targeting almost nobody.
According to him, most gay guys would rather see briefs. If you visit a lot of sites that sell men’s swimwear, there are hunky guys in briefs with “come hither” looks (LOL, give me some literary license here to make a point) that appear to try to target gay men rather than women. But if surveys are accurate, many women prefer guys who are athletic but not great big huge muscular guys.
If these sites also sell thongs, the same great big hunky guys are in thongs that don’t appeal to the gay men, don’t appeal to many women, and – at least to me – are a bit intimidating because, while I (still) have an athletic build, I’m definitely not a great big hunky guy. That is, the ads don’t target me very well either; it took me years to overcome my own internal objections to click the “Buy it” button.
If you go to web sites that sell swimsuits for women, a lot of the models are more “ordinary”. Sure, many are young-ish and attractive, but you also see “plus size” women and women who are not some unachievable platonic ideal of hyper-femininity (whatever that is).
What I’m saying is, it would be nice to see ads with some “regular guys” in thongs. It doesn’t have to be all 6-packs, 5-6% body fat, shredded quads, biceps, and triceps, and lats that go from coast to coast. Just regular guys, some athletic, some carrying a few extra pounds, not everybody buffed and polished to a high sheen.
Check out https://brigitewear.com sometime and you’ll see examples of both men and women who aren’t all outliers in terms of appearance. There are some skinny guys, some guys with 6-packs, some guys without, some older guys, etc etc. I’ve never bought any of their suits and can’t speak to the quality of the product, but they seem to be trying to target real people.
[Edited] I should have also included what I personally look for is suits that are practical and not too showy. Lightly lined suits with drawstrings that really stay in place for swimming, snorkeling, body surfing, boogie boarding, surfing, etc; Jack Adams used to make a suit called the Bondi Thong which I thought was pretty ideal for this. And smaller suits, like the Skinz M67, which are great for sunning and light swimming; I really like this suit because it’s a classic style that’s fairly minimal coverage without being too attention-grabbing.
My ideal swimwear brand would be a combination of Patagonia’s operations, Speedo’s marketing, and Goi’s design. A responsibly run business that makes modern, attractive swimwear for people of all genders.
Thongs would comprise the majority of a curated collection of exclusively minimal styles with a focus on doing a few things exceptionally well. The products wouldn’t be cheap, but the quality would justify the cost, and there would never be deals or sales to make people feel foolish for paying full price.
Fabrics would be a mix of solids and tasteful patterns, which would be updated every season. All of the swimsuits would be lined in colors to match the fabric, and sportier styles would have drawstrings.
Marketing photos would be shot outdoors in natural light at beaches, pools, lakes, etc., in a candid, natural style. Catalog photos would show how the swimsuits fit on a variety of body types from the front, side, and back. The brand would partner with a variety of athletes, such as swimmers and surfers, to show its practical side. And they’d have pop ups in department stores and the like to promote the crossover appeal.
I think it will always be a challenge as men’s thongs is a niche market. Even in the market there are niches. Some companies tend to lean toward the smaller/skimpier suits and others more traditional brief sized coverage but a thong. All I really want to see is good examples of what the suits look like under normal lighting conditions.
Most of the brands that offer men’s thong swimwear started with or primarily focus on underwear, so it’s no surprise that they have hyper-sexual marketing styles. This is why I think people are nostalgic about the Speedo thong. Its association with a mainstream swimwear brand legitimized thong swimsuits.
I don’t expect mainstream brands to offer men’s thong swimwear anytime soon, but I wish some of the specialty brands would emulate the style of brands like these. Wearing a thong swimsuit is about feeling good and enjoying life. Their marketing should reflect that.
There are so many brands from which to select, especially with the advent Chinese made suits, with so many of the same articles sold under a variety of names.
For me the manner of advertising and information provided is of utmost importance. Since virtually all my purchases are online since I no longer live near Skinzwear, website information is critical.
Maybe number one is photos of the suit on a model with multiple views of front, back, and sides. I like having a wide selection of colors and prints. Also important is info on fabric, is the suit unlined, stretch, is it sheer or sheer when wet, country of origin, etc Although I own many brands, Skinzwear probably sets the standard for all of the above