MARKETERs Experience 2022. When marketing breaks taboos (and does it well)

Today, this trend has been reduced: for those involved in communication, it is clear how sex-based advertising attracts attention and gets people talking, but it can only work if it is in line with the brands’ value universe.

So here we come to the question addressed on 2 December at Campus San Giobbe during #MExp22: how to talk about sex toys, contraceptives and sex-related objects in a respectful, inclusive and… ban-proof way?

Irony, inclusiveness and awareness-raising: Control Italia

The first speakers to take the stage were Marta Massari, Global Marketing Manager of Control (one of the leaders in the sexual wellness sector) and Valentina Barone, Creative Director of Together, an integrated communication agency that collaborates with the brand.

Together they talked about the creative process and the inspirations behind the hot and irreverent, never vulgar, communication of Control Italia, the first condom brand that has chosen to change its perspective and speak to women, i.e. those who suffer all the negative consequences of not using its product. The 2020rebranding also marked the desire to promote a sexuality centred on love, that which goes beyond genders and imperfections: inclusive, respectful and aware.

Irreverence and memes for Italy’s sexiest pastry shop, Mr Dick

Waffles and various delicacies in the shape of genitalia, served with delicious toppings: the second guests of the MARKETERs Experience 2022 are Claudia Mangano and Loris Massaro, respectively Founder and Store manager of Mr Dick, the hottest pastry shop in Milan.

Mr Dick’s aim is undoubtedly to break down taboos and normalise sexuality through a combination of food, freedom and irreverence. In an explosive speech, Claudia and Loris talked about social strategies to circumvent censorship and be able to tell the story of the business without filters, of anin-store experience designed to offer a space in which to address the theme of sexuality without embarrassment and the reactions (positive, but also negative) of customers.

Changing the (social) channel: CUKO

Serena Reginato and Giulia Cominato are both founders of CUKO, a porcelain stoneware sex toy company that mixes craftsmanship and design: their start-up has long been marked by the inauspicious (and unfair) social network ban. After attempting to communicate on more classic channels such as Instagram and Facebook, shadowbans, flagged content and suspended accounts prompted the two entrepreneurs to seek an alternative path, moving onto less usual platforms: email and guerrilla marketing strategies , landing on LinkedIn and a Tinder profile dedicated to this designer sex toy unexpectedly proved to be the winning choice to circumvent the prudery of Meta platforms!

Make it disruptive. Daring with a head pays off

Out of the box, revolutionary, destabilising: disruptive marketing is a real way of thinking that breaks the rules of traditional marketing, a powerful – as well as risky – tool for attracting people’s attention.
The testimonies of the guests at #MExp22 seem to demonstrate in every way that breaking out of the mould and finding unexpected solutions is the strategy best suited to communicating ‘special’ products, such as those related to the world of sexuality are perceived to be. On one condition, however: doing it with a head, i.e. choosing paths in line with one’s brand identity. A fully successful venture for Control, Mr Dick and CUKO, don’t you agree?