It’s the oldest niche in the world.

No matter if you base your opinions on evolution or religion there’s no getting around the fact men represent a significant segment of any given “market.” I’ve got the God-thing going so for me that apple purchase in Eden was the start of a powerful buying urge. And even if you bide by the strict evo-solution there comes a point where our “man” stood up and figured out he needed shoes for his aching feet and, a few years later, glasses to help him see where he was going.

Beyond demographics and cultural tugs and music affinities and just about any segmenting you might layer on the original plan, it turns out men “need” and that need-niche is huge… and… getting bigger. And rather than just tag along on that growing quest, eyewear is actually a critical crest of this whole scenario.|| At 20/20 we’ve been harping on “his” optical needs AND wants with a special issue every year but this issue officially previews an extraordinary eyewear retailing initiative Jobson Optical Publishing is targeting throughout all of 2007. Get ready for a wave of editorial projects from 20/20 and Vision Monday, our sister publication, dedicated to increasing the awareness of the men’s eyewear market and delivering the latest developments in that market. We’ll be dealing with everything from men’s lifestyle branding to consumer research data. All will be bookmarked by powerful trend-tracking, in-depth tech analysis and a publishing environment that should energize your understanding of what it takes to attend to the vision needs of today’s male eyewear patient: the Modern Man in his eyewear.

So take a trip through the Age(s) of Man starting on page 25. Say hello to designer John Varvatos on page 42. Keep current with the MANdates of What’s Right Now on page 79. Bulk up on some solid male Basics on page 87. And get used to saying “It’s a guy-thing” with an eye on a niche you simply cannot ignore.

 

   
James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]