If there’s one industry that’s been missing out on marketing opportunities linked to big budget feature films, it’s got to be the sex toy industry. Because before Christian Grey and his room full of educational tools got everyone’s moms and aunts texting things we’d rather not read, there really wasn’t an opportune time to peddle promotional Kegel balls.
That time is now: With the Valentine’s Day premiere of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie looming, effectively mainstreaming sex toys on the big screen, the New York Times reports that retailers are stocking up on the whips, blindfolds, handcuffs, masks and other sexual sundries.
The idea being, if the movie does as well as the industry hopes it does, that could send sex toy seekers who like what they see on screen flocking to stores.
Some manufacturers have even changed up packaging and products to go along with the tone and theme of the film, although there’s only one company with the rights to sell official Fifty Shades of Grey adult products, a company called Loverboy that’s selling its products in Target and elsewhere.
Speaking of Target, you may recall that the giant chain recently started shilling official Fifty Shades of Grey products like a “vibrating love ring.” It does not go on your finger, and should not be displayed next to kids’ toothbrushes.
When the first book in the series came out in 2011, retailers say they weren’t prepared for the onslaught of shoppers. The bondage tome sparked a 7.5% jump in sales of sex toys, videos and books in 2013. This time, they’ll be ready.
“It is the biggest moment for our industry in popular culture pretty much ever,” Claire Cavanah, a co-founder of Babeland, an adult novelty retailer, told the NYT. “We’re all sort of preparing for what could be another wave of toys.”
Sex Toy Shops Prepare for Tie-Ins to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ [New York Times]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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