Naughty Consumer Insights

Trend - Reflective of how branding-conscious Millennials are, products designed to enhance their sex lives are receiving a muted, minimalist re-brand. A far cry from the typical product and packaging design seen in the industry, this change demonstrates how important image and design is to this demographic.

Insight - In recent years, products related to intimacy were predominantly male-focused, even if they were designed for women's use. The growth of female-owned businesses in this space has brought on a new voice for what many consumers of all genders actually want, which is products that prioritize function, design, and inclusion rather than gratuitous aesthetics. Millennials in-particular have been a driver for this shift because of the nuanced ways that they express their sexuality, and their expectation that brands cater to that.

Implications - While apps like Tinder have dominated the market for dating, a shift towards apps and products that aid intimacy in an on-demand fashion are on the rise. The connected consumer is accustom to instant gratification, which is being capitalized on with apps that deliver excitement at any moment.

Implications - The personal nature of intimacy products has sparked consumers to prefer customized variations that provide an enhanced sense of comfort and familiarity. As the customization boom continues to permeate a multitude of different industries, the incorporation of such qualities appeals to consumer preference for tailored goods.

Implications - Seeking escapism in the everyday, consumers are turning to food-focused intimacy products for a sense of excitement and novelty. This shift toward intriguing and obscure variations on traditional products denotes a preference for adventurism in a wide variety of everyday activities.

Implications - As consumers become increasingly unable to part with digital devices, brands are responding in kind with connected intimacy toys. Features like Bluetooth or Internet connectivity offer consumers the option to never disconnect even during private moments, which speaks to a preference for technology over privacy.

Implications - Fashion consistently takes cues from the past, and the Middle Ages is one period in which designers are increasingly looking for inspiration. Runways and editorials are showcasing everything from chain mail accoutrements to armor-like apparel, and just as the Middle Ages represented a divergence from classical learning, so too do today's Medieval inspirations represent a desire to break apart from the more classic, conservative apparel prevalent in recent fashion.

Implications - Your home is your haven, a place where you don't have to answer to anyone -- or explain yourself. With this in mind, product designers are creating crude and provocative housewares that appeal to consumers' more risque tastes. These novelties allow people to indulge in humor as well as their naughtier sides, without public judgment.

Implications - While some advertisers are trying to get consumer attention through blood, gore and horrific images, others are going in exactly the opposite direction. Images themed around angels, serenity and heavenly figures work to convey a feeling of overall trust and innocence (even if they are marketing lingerie), which ultimately generates positive feelings from the viewer and consumer.

Implications - Although most consumers have been taught the importance of using prophylactics, traditional marketing tactics may not be enough to encourage their use. Repackaging this product, whether making it more fashionable, unique or exciting in some way, stands to elevate their importance in consumers’ minds once again. Any conventional product can be viewed as boring; thus, it is up to brands to discover new ways to convey an old message.

Implications - The playground is becoming a favorite theme of photographers, who are using it as a background for often risque photography. Fashion photography, especially, is becoming more non-traditional in that the fashion story is often just as—if not more—important as the clothes featured. As such, juxtoposing sensuality against something as innocent as a jungle gym is one way that photographers are attempting to capture the wavering attention of their viewers.