Put a ring on him

Thanks to OZ Insight Manager Randy Rossi for sharing some insight into a wedding ring brand called Manly Bands.

You can get a feel for the brand’s ethos from this video, which is awesome. Their mission is to make wedding bands that appeal to a man’s sense of style – in other words, something more than the typical plain silver or gold.  

As Randy put it, “They have an uber-macho brand identity. But beneath that are ornate rings and often emotional stories behind them. It almost gives men a permission in a way to lean into their sensitive and stylish side.” 

To wit:

• Every ring is a metaphor (“The Troubador,” “The Baller,” and “The 1954,” for example) and each has its own story.  

• There are various themed collections, like a Celtic collection (“Celtic” meaning the tribes from Central Europe, not the NBA team) and a Military collection. 

• There are brand partnerships with Jack Daniels, Lord of the Rings, Fender, and DC Comics. 

• And some of the rings are made of off-the-wall materials like meteor shards and tiny fragments of dinosaur bones.  

Furthermore, there are no stores. It’s a totally online, direct-to-consumer business model.

You can read more about the Manly Bands origin story here. Although they have spawned imitators, Manly Bands combines an offbeat product with a brand image and a business model that are tough to replicate.  And it’s also an example of how a brand can successfully shatter category norms, not only in terms of product offerings but also in the tonality of its communications.