IPC drills down into 'hard to target' young men

The company has identified five core sectors. The largest is termed "responsible dads" and accounts for 25% of all respondents. Conservative by tradition, the company claim their emphasis is on putting the family first.

"Romantic gents" form 22% per cent of all respondents. This group is committed to their partners with a thirst for learning new skills. According to IPC Ignite, their downtime is the evening rather than during the day.

"Positive socials" (19% per cent) is the term applied to young men who trust brands and freely admit "advertising helps them to find new products". The study claims that these are "ultra-positive" men who are "surrounded by a big group of friends".

Other clusters include "mature new men", which are described as "brand-savvy" individuals with career commitments who tend to be cynical about marketing and advertising, and "non-committals" who are defined by a "lack of strong opinions" and can be found online most frequently during the day.

Sam Finlay, IPC Ignite's group advertising director said: "Young men are the most fast-evolving social group in the UK, which makes them both tremendously hard to target and truly fascinating to understand. Today's Man provides us with a wealth of insight into this complex and diverse group, suggesting even more effective strategies to reach and engage them."

The research comprised 700 male respondents between the ages of 18 to 34, who completed the survey online. Further studies looking more specifically into each cluster group are scheduled for later this year.

Dan Botten, head of Insight at IPC Ignite said: "Today's Man establishes some clear commonalities among the clusters, but the really fascinating insights come to light when examining the differences.

"As this research project moves forward we will continue to hone our understanding of these diverse groups of young British Men."