While there are numerous influencers and founders out there running their own personal blogs, an Australian digital lifestyle publication started by two best friends, gained recognition by bucking the trend in building a brand that focused on the products they featured rather than through a personal lens or focus on themselves. Created in 2012 by Scott Purcell and Frank Arthur, Man of Many is now Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle website covering topics such as tech, fashion and culture from a male perspective. What started out as a mere side-hustle for Purcell and Arthur turned out to be one of the fastest growing and largest digital publications in Australia that has been highly acclaimed not only domestically but across the world.
“I think if you want to build your ‘brand’ and turn it into a business, too much focus on yourself can create a lot of key man risk in future, particularly if you want to grow your team” remarked Purcell. “Instead, we chose to keep ourselves in the background and keep the products and tech front and centre which is really what our readers were coming for”.
As of January 2021, Man of Many had well over 650,000 monthly Australian readers. Who would’ve thought that a platform created as a mere outlet to share their passion for products and design would have gained such notoriety? Through Man of Many’s clever product curation they’ve not only become a trusted voice for Australian men, covering interesting and captivating topics across style, grooming, watches, luxury, cars, politics, fitness, to cultural content but it has also recently launched an e-commerce platform offering its readers an integrated shopping experience.
“As an independent digital publication in a rapidly evolving media landscape threatened by the changes from COVID and the News Media Bargaining Code, the need for innovation has always taken high precedence at Man of Many” said Arthur. “Despite these challenges, we’ve demonstrated a willingness to be flexible and dynamic with both our editorial content and operations, taking on board proactive measures to address these updates.”
By tailoring its bespoke branded content, Man of Many has been successful in providing an avenue for our brand partners to connect its highly-engaged audience. This has led to Man of Many has partnering with numerous international and luxury brands including Omega, Apple, Ford, Nivea, Nike, Land Rover, Samsung, IKEA, American Express, Toyota, Jonnie Walker, Samsung, BOSE, Netflix, Wild Turkey, and many more. The website has also interviewed a vast range of celebrities from the likes of Matthew McConohay, Lewis Hamilton, and Morgan Freeman, alongside its daily coverage of the latest product, tech and gear releases.
These unstoppable strides for an independent digital publication are no coincidence, Man of Many’s unwavering focus on delivering content that is not only engaging but insightful for its readers is one of the main reasons it has become twice the size of GQ Australia online according to Nielsen’s Digital Media Ratings. Purcell and Arthur credit their success to an analytical and well-researched approach to their content and a devotion to constant innovation and improvement in their offering, something which is easier to do with a smaller team versus some of the traditional media publishers.
“In addition to bolstering our Australian-focused content through SEO research and identifying key search terms for our audience, we also proactively rolled out reader surveys. These additions provided insights that were highly valuable in formulating not only our approach to brand partnerships, but also our content direction” said Purcell.
When asked about the future plans, the vision for this ever-growing website was pretty clear. Beyond reaching more and continuing to build a community of gear enthusiasts, Man of Many is expanding its content offering through launching a podcast, developing further video content into unboxings and hands-on reviews, as well as bringing on board more unique and high quality brands to its e-commerce store.
“In future, we believe in crafting content that not only enriches our readers’ lives but also content that empowers them to make a positive investment in themselves and the community at large” said Arthur.
