Situation

Despite remarkable brand awareness in Japan, TENGA was virtually unknown to the Western world. Deep-seeded taboos surrounding masturbation and male sex toys prevented any serious consideration or acceptance. Fear of ridicule or judgement made any open and honest discussion around the topic—and especially the “toys”—impossible.

Brief

Change the way Western audiences think and talk about masturbation, and drive sales of TENGA’s male toys.

Objectives

Dare to tackle the stigmas around masturbation to change perceptions around men’s self-pleasure. Build awareness and sales for TENGA’s male products. All in a highly regulated and censored category.

So how do you sell a product that’s for something no one – especially men – are willing to talk about or even take seriously?

You give men permission to talk about it. Lots of men – millions of them even. All over the world. You make them feel comfortable, asking them questions about popular topics they’re willing to discuss: relationships, politics, happiness, manliness and sex. You then shift those topics to include masturbation, e.g., masturbation and relationships, masturbation and politics, masturbation and happiness.

And you document it all, releasing the findings during Masturbation May, an international holiday created to protect and celebrate the right to masturbate.

The result? For the first time ever, talking about masturbation was normalized, turning it from late-show punchline to the trending topic of the day, and TENGA experienced massive global product awareness and a 226% jump in sales.

Through cutting-edge data, TENGA’s global study proved that:

* Nearly 90% of men want to feel more connected in life and love. Men reported the pressures they feel to act “manly”, and shared how they don't identify with traditionally “manly” traits, such as stoicism and aggression, and are more sensitive.

* Men who are most in touch with their own and others’ emotions and desires, are happiest with themselves, have the strongest relationships, and satisfying sex lives.

* Men who “feel more,” sexually and emotionally – and specifically men who use sex toys – live better lives, are more ideal partners, and are better lovers, as reported by the satisfaction levels of their partners.

TENGA knew it had the credibility to champion a behavioral change among today’s modern men. In a category that often shames men and objectifies women – with competitors that use female porn stars to endorse life-like “adult toys” – TENGA challenged this public image with products designed to enhance pleasure, not replace intimacy.

With this thought-provoking data and brand insight, the strategy was to position TENGA as the smart and modern toy for today’s smart and modern men.

The result? “Feel More,” a platform designed to open conversations and empower men.

Launched at the start of Masturbation May – TENGA used creative content and channels to spark conversation in key markets including:

• FeelMore.Global, the online platform, with infographics using lighthearted, animated characters to explore the taboo topic, Shopify product discount codes and embedded links that clicked through to TENGA’s online store and Amazon shops.

• Extensive media outreach using segmented storylines, bespoke survey data and product samples to earn tier-one coverage across men and women’s health and beauty, mainstream news, LGBTQ+, pop and Internet culture, and lifestyle and society publications.

• Live and online events showcasing influencer voices to add credibility and help overcome social advertising restrictions that prevent TENGA from promoting its own message; sexologist Dr. Chris Donaghue and Karley Sciortino of Slutever in the US; BBC Radio 1’s resident sex educator Alix Fox in the UK and urologist and best-selling author Dr. Volker Wittkamp in Germany.

Through a creative, integrated, and always-on approach, TENGA positioned itself as a forward-looking thought leader in sexual wellness and as the go-to brand for innovative men’s pleasure products, affectionately credited by VICE as “creating a brighter future for penises.”

Since the Feel More launch, the platform has resulted in:

• Product sales in TENGA’s key Western markets to more than double, increasing by 226 percent year-over-year

• Nearly a billion (900,080,407) media impressions, overwhelmingly positive in tone and on-message

• Significant shift in attitudes around masturbation, exemplified by the fact that the platform was shared 25,263 times, 36x more than average

Most importantly, TENGA has established itself as a sexual wellness trailblazer while spearheading a timely, socially important conversation that smashes taboos, fights labels and limitations, and shows the world that in loving ourselves, we feel more for others.