How long have we all been waiting for the women's equivalent of Viagra? There is a STUPID amount of money to be made with such a product. (Drug companies currently make $2.5 Billlion on Viagra, Cialis and Levitra each year.)
Did you know research shows women actually suffer from sexual dysfunction more than men?
Women - 43%
Men - 31%
Pharmaceutical companies have done research in this area, but women's bodies and sexual function are far more complicated than men's.
Then along comes Zestra
Zestra is a topical oil applied externally to increase women's sexual satisfaction. According to the Zestra website:
Recommended by doctors, Zestra® is a safe, natural, easy-to-apply blend of botanical oils and extracts that works by heightening a woman's sensitivity to touch. So you feel more during sex
In two clinical trials, 70% of women found that Zestra significantly improved their desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction. And these trials included a wide array of women.
Meet the women behind Zestra
It was no surprise to me to find two women behind the development and success of this product. Meet Rachel Braun Scherl, President, and Mary Jaensch, CEO of Semprae Laboratories, maker of Zestra.
Semprae Laboratories, Inc. is a company founded by women and focused on women's sexuality. Semprae is a science-based company focused on developing clinically-proven consumer products in women's health.
Semprae is dedicated to the belief that all women deserve sexual satisfaction.
How to talk about women's sexual satisfaction
When I interviewed Mary and Rachel, they brought up a great point:
"A lot of the language around sex is determined by the porn industry and the medical industry. For men, it's all about 'er' - faster, longer, etc. It's about performance. A lot of this language doesn't resonate with women."
So what does resonate with women? Simple terms that directly describe what Zestra does, like:
- Better sex, effortlessly
- A scientific breakthrough in women's sexual satisfaction
- Feel the Zestra rush
- Feel deep pleasurable sensations effortlessly
- You're having sex, so wouldn't it be great to...well... enjoy it more?
While this works for women, it doesn't seem to work for television networks.
Networks refuse to run Zestra's commercials
With the airwaves full of erectile dysfunction ads, the makers of Zestra were surprised to find that many networks would not air their commercials. They said they don't do "this category." Really? They can run ads talking about "erections that last longer than four hours" but not ads that talk about female sexual satisfaction?
Is there a double standard for advertising sexual dysfunction products? This Nightline piece investigates.
Not to be detered, the Zestra team has created a new commercial that is much more vague and apparently more palatable to the networks.
Zestra facilitates the conversation
Throughout the Zestra website and the Zestra Blog, women will find answers to the questions they may have been uncomfortable asking. Zestra does a terrific job of providing information women are looking for.They do a great job of talking to women about what women care about.
And isn't that what great marketing is all about?
I'm not surprised at all to find out that networks have a double standard when it comes to men's and women's pleasure. It's disappointing, but fits in with so many other double standards that I don't see how anyone can be surprised. It's good news that these products are so far along in development, though. I hope they don't have some currently unknown side effects.
Posted by: CDM | September 27, 2011 at 06:53 PM