When it comes to the conversation around sex, older Australians aren’t welcome. The very idea of senior sex has become a punchline.

So how do you open up a conversation with a generation that’s been shut down and stigmatised? We brought the conversation directly to them, creating a mail-order catalogue that celebrated sex in later life, for older Australians to explore in the privacy of their own homes.

Using a traditional media still embraced by older Austalians, we set out to personally welcome them into a world they’ve been stigmatised from.

Wild Secrets is an adult retailer with a mission: to normalise pleasure for everyone. We identified that both brands and culture treated sex in later life with an ageist lens, and we were determined to break the stigma.

Our objective was to reach the over 65s to start a conversation about sex, and introduce them to sex toys, on their terms. We would measure this through engagement from the over 65 age group: online visits, sales and revenue.

We conducted a survey of over 500 Australians aged 65+ to better understand their attitudes towards age and pleasure. We found that 1 in 3 over 65s are comfortable using sex toys, and that 78% think that the biggest myth around sex and age is that desire retires in later life. Armed with these insights, we set off to break some taboos.

We activated the card that’s in the back pocket of every senior in the country, typically associated with stereotypes of later life: dentures, bus travel and bingo.

By becoming the first adult toy brand with a senior citizens card discount, we flipped ageist perceptions and promoted pleasure for all.

To promote the senior’s discount, we used a traditional media still embraced by older Australians, the mail-order catalogue, to spread a modern message of sexual empowerment.

Our strategy targeted seniors where they felt most comfortable, in their homes, where we could tailor the conversation directly to them.

IPA data (April 2022) showed that paper-based channels continue to be the most effective way to reach over 75s: 55% over 65s and 65% over 75s had taken the time to read a door drop in the past 3 months. With less competition on the doormat these days, this was the perfect space to cut through - whilst gently introducing the topic in the privacy of the home.

To exclusively reach over 65s, we mailed the catalogues to over 50 lifestyle villages across the country.

Our call to action gently invited older Australians to browse a range of toys tailored to their needs, and to use their senior citizens card to access 20% off.

To spread a modern message of sexual empowerment, we created a traditional 16-page mail-order catalogue.

Working with a sexologist, we tailored each page to address the needs of our audience, featuring accessible toy recommendations and educational content about sex over 65.

The design combined techniques from the 70s with a modern layout, emanating a renaissance of the sexual revolution and featured accessible colours, typefaces and point sizes.

To encourage older Australians to access 20% off with their senior citizen’s card, we included a mail-order form so seniors could purchase pleasure products directly from the catalogue, in the privacy of their homes.

The Better with Age campaign went live over 4 weeks (16/10/22 - 20/11/22). Catalogues were mailed to over 50 lifestyle villages across the country,

driving engagement and product consideration. The mail-drop was supported by targeted DOOH and BVOD to drive awareness.

The ‘Better With Age’ campaign generated:

10% lift in new website visits from customers aged 65+

19% lift in transactions from customers aged 65+

32% lift in revenue from customers aged 65+