OTTAWA, Canada – Throughout the history of the adult entertainment industry, including the pleasure products sector, one of the major marketing techniques available to many mainstream brands and products has been largely unavailable to adult companies, due to the persistent stigma associated with all things erotic and sexual. I’m speaking of the celebrity endorsement – or better yet, the even more coveted celebrity collaboration.
There have been exceptions over the years, of course, with a major one emerging in late October, when Womanizer announced a collaboration with UK pop star Lily Allen. Now, less than two weeks on since that announcement, Womanizer is reaping the benefits of its celebrity partnership coup.
In a single week, the partnership with Allen (who now serves as the brand’s “Chief Liberation Officer”) and the related #IMasturbate campaign has “resulted in over 800 pieces of global media coverage across online, print, radio, and broadcast outlets, including features in top-tier North American publications including Rolling Stone, InStyle, Shape, CNN, US Weekly, and People,” Womanizer said in a statement issued Monday.
“There are many reasons for our excitement about this campaign, but one of them is reaching new audiences and introducing them to the modern sex toy industry,” said Johanna Rief, Head of Sexual Empowerment at Womanizer. “With such a high-profile celebrity partnership, Lily Allen and Womanizer have helped bring conversations about sex toys, masturbation, and pleasure to the forefront of a massive mainstream audience. As our Chief Liberation Officer, Lily Allen will continue to help us raise awareness for sex positivity and masturbation on a global scale.”
On top of the attention from traditional media outlets, Allen “also shared her new product and sent gifts to celebrity and influencer friends who were eager to share photos and stories with their fans,” Womanizer said in its statement, adding that this resulted in “over 40 posts from global influencers” and noting the campaign “created buzz with nearly 13 million followers on Instagram alone.”
“In her continuing quest to create a more open, sex-positive society, Allen has spent many months working with Womanizer to create her very own product, Liberty by Lily Allen,” the company said in its statement.
Allen’s relationship with Womanizer began when she mentioned using their products in her Sunday Times best-selling memoir My Thoughts Exactly. Addressing how she discovered her own sexual pleasure while on the Sheezus tour, Allen wrote “And since you ask if I had to pick one vibrator above all the others, I recommend the Womanizer.”
Liberty by Lily Allen is available now from authorized Womanizer distributors and retails for $99 USD. Retailers can reach out to their WOW Tech representative for more details. For more information about the campaign, visit womanizer.com/lilyallen.
