why is it so difficult to market sexual wellness products?

Social media platforms have rules on what people can post – and rightfully so. The platforms are supposed to protect us, viewers, from any potentially harmful content including erotic and pornographic materials. But what to do if you run a company that produces goods or services that are designed for sexual wellness and you’re constantly banned?

In 2020 an initiative called Center for Intimacy Justice (CIJ) made a study where they analyzed 60 Facebook ad campaigns for products that were female sexual health-related. All of them were banned from the platform despite not having any explicit imagery and promoting products that were strictly health-related. This is especially conflicting because other ads, like medications for erectile dysfunction for men are freely promoted using erotic pics. The Meta representative claimed that: “We welcome ads for sexual wellness products but we prohibit nudity and have specific rules about how these products can be marketed on our platform”.

Well, interesting. After CIJ has posted an investigative report on the ads related to female health, Meta has promised to review the guidelines for businesses surrounding sexual wellness and specifically female pleasure.

Use influencer marketing. Influencer marketing campaigns are usually less straightforward and more creative – hence, wiggle room for engaging content.
Make content more educational. Research tells us that the more info on the health benefits of the product – the more chances for successful and approved ad campaigns.

Use PR. Social media is not the only channel where you can reach your audience, and, if you’re always at risk of being banned, you can lose access to your target audience overnight. Diversify your communication channels.

This should help not only stay afloat, but launch successful marketing campaigns – let us lead by example, so stay tuned for more posts on Quinky’s way to make sex ed accessible and engaging!)