Sex Toy Brand Urges Consumers to Stay Home After Experiencing Massive Sales Spike

The premier provider of female sexual health and wellness products is back with another perfectly executed billboard ad promoting its Womanizer Premium Pleasure Air stimulator during the current stay-at-home period. WOW Tech Group wants Canadians to stay at home as the country looks to flatten the curve during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Staying at home is the only proven method of mitigating the spread of the deadly virus. 

Running in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the billboard features an image of the Womanizer, accompanied by a simple message “Stay home.” The brand partnered with two online Womanizer retailers, Stag Shop and Quebec’s SexxxPlus to promote the PSA. $10 from each Womanizer Premium sold is being donated to the YWCA Covid-19 Emergency Relief and Community Resilience Fund. Creative for the campaign was provided by The Garden, planning by Cairns Oneil, and media space was donated by Outfront, Branded Cities, Pattison and Astral. 

“It’s vitally important that Canadians stay home in order to flatten the curve, and the Womanizer can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that comes from being cooped up inside,” says Stephanie Keating, head of North America marketing for WOW Tech. “And we’re so proud to be sending a portion of sales of the Womanizer to support vulnerable women and children affected by the coronavirus.”

Sex toys are increasingly in-demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online Womanizer sales in Canada are up more than double the company’s forecast for March. In fact, they were up 263% in March 2020 versus the same period last year. In the United States, online sales are up 152% from March 2019 vs. March 2020. Public health bodies say that masturbation is the safest method of sex during the current health crisis.

“You are your safest sex partner,” says a recent briefing from the NYC Health Department. “Masturbation will not spread Covid-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex.”

WOW Tech made headlines around the world last year with a bold billboard featuring an image of the Womanizer, accompanied by the words “Scream your own name.” Both pieces of creative were developed by Toronto agency The Garden.

“It’s so important for non-essential workers to keep their social distance right now,” says Lindsay Eady, associate creative director at The Garden. “We saw a fun opportunity to get that message across in a tongue-and-cheek way with a brand whose main focus is self-care. Frontline workers are going out into the world and risking their lives - the least we can do is stay home and masturbate.”