Lovehoney

Selling Sexual Wellness in the USA

Memorandum (2019)

Authors

Michael B. Beverland University of Sussex

P. Cankurtaran Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior

Research Group

Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior

Branding Innovation management Marketing strategy Market entry Branding global and local brands

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Published Date

2019

Language

English

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Research Group

Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior

Abstract

The case examines the strategies of Lovehoney, the UK’s largest seller of sexual wellness products, primarily driven by its own branded product range plus brand licenses such as the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. Sexual wellness is not a new category; rather it is the name given to what was the sex toy and sex play market by new entrants keen to distance themselves from historic associations with pornography and a male tone of voice. A number of disruptive brands have entered into this market, leveraging design-driven innovations and branding with a clear feminine tone of voice, focused on appealing to holistic notions of wellness. One of the earliest of these was Lovehoney, a UK-based online retailer based in the historic spa town of Bath. The case focuses on the challenge of entering into the USA, a lucrative market for sexual wellness, but one requiring a different tone of voice to successfully penetrate.