The Pleasure of Marketing Sex Toys in a World of Censorship (CampaignLive)

Read the full article by Oliver McAteer at CampaignLive.com 

Sex.

Erect nipples.

Sweaty, shameless bodies pressed up against a heavily-condensated window in a coital union of immeasurable pleasure.

If any of this is making you uncomfortable, now’s a good time to leave (here’s a safer read about agency promotions, you massive bore).

We’re here to talk about love toys and orgasms and the challenges in marketing them. It’s something the team over at Fancy knows all too well.

"The interesting and fun thing about working within the creative challenge of broadcast limitations or, um, handcuffs, is that when you can’t show or say anything, there is the chance to really play with the viewer's imagination," said Erica Fite, co-founder and co-cco at the New York City-based agency, who works with adult chain Lion’s Den.

Fite, along with her partner Katie Keating, approached the brand after reading an article in which Pete Potenzini, its director of marketing, said the company was actively trying to appeal to women and couples.

They wanted to make a difference for women by celebrating sexuality and normalizing the vital role sex plays in our lives. The duo set out to create humorous work that portrayed women as in control of their desires.

"But first people would have to see the work," said Keating. "We had no idea how hard it would be to get good work out into the world.

"It turns out, there are a lot of rules about what we can and cannot see/hear/read on the air, on social, digital, and print. Rules about when we can see it, and rules about how we can be targeted. Lots and lots of rules."