To stand out in the crowded pleasure product field, it takes more than a good product. There must also be good marketing as well. And Impulse Novelties certainly has both.
Impulse is the name of the parent company, but it’s the Closet Collection—its stylish line of toys aimed at women—that is its best-known brand. And the company’s sales and marketing team is determined to keep awareness high.
With vibrators named Carrie B. and the Jimmee Lightning Rod (tributes to Sex and the City and shoe maven Jimmy Choo), it’s clear that a passion for fashion drives the collection. The various vibrators are named after designers—Christian, Donatella, Stellah, Chloe—and this year the packaging got a makeover.
“We wanted the look to be uniform but different. It’s so clean and modern and fresh. And feminine,” account manager Sara Hentcy explained.
Packaging comes in five patterns: floral, polka dot, animal print, geometric and lace. These correspond to five “types”: Bohemian Chic, Playful Delight, Wild Child, Sex-ucated Lady and Elegant Romantic. Consumers can take a “personality test” to see what type most suits them.
“The floral pattern is the Bohemian Chic, and that’s the Bendables, the Carrie B. … the Chloe and the Christian. And then the Playful Delight—that’s the polka dots—are basically bunnies and butterflies. The Wild Child are the craziest of our toys: the Carrie B. Twist, the Victoria …” She pauses. “It’s the Swiss army knife of sex toys,” she said about the vibrator named after Victoria Beckham.
What’s inside the boxes has changed also. Most vibrators now come in hot pink and vibrant purple—which the team calls “Barney purple.” Some items are offered in turquoise: “Some toys just do better in the blue.”
Impulse Novelties will be showing off the revamped Closet Collection at the AVN Novelty Expo, which takes place January 20-22 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. While there, attendees can get a look at the newest additions to the collection: the Vera and the Carolina. The Vera is a petite rechargeable rabbit, and the Carolina is battery-operated. Impulse Novelties offers both types to provide consumers with varied price points. Some of the models are made of ABS plastic for the same reason.
Also under the Impulse Novelties umbrella is the Black Door brand, a more androgynous line. “We wanted to make sure we had toys that catered to a gay market, like the dual plugs,” Hentcy said. But also, she added, “Sometimes women want a black toy, or guys are buying a toy for their wife or girlfriend and don’t want to grab a pink toy.”
The Black Door items also are being spruced up. “We’re going to be changing the packaging to a metallic silver so that the toy just pops more out of the box.” The clear windows will be less glossy, so that what’s inside can be seen more clearly. “And there’s also some fun stuff coming out for Black Door that hopefully we’ll have by January,” she said.
In addition to packaging changes, Impulse also came out with its Bendables line. “We did a lot of research,” Hentcy said. “The biggest thing with other bendables is that they would never stay bent. We wanted something that was sturdy but easy to bend, and it stayed bent so you never had to worry about it changing motion in mid-action—that’s the worst.”
Bendables are included in both the Closet and Black Door collections. And debuting at the show is the Manola, a rabbit-shaped vibe named for, of course, Manolo Blahnik. “It is a cute toy. It’s pink and purple,” Hentcy said. She’s looking forward to revealing the Manola to ANE attendees. “Our Bendable Hentcy will be very exciting. Our bunny shapes tend to do really well.”
But the biggest news at Impulse is the addition of a collection of fun, low-cost toys.
“We’re also working on another line, a beginner line. It’s called the Glow Party and it’s going to be very simple jellies. We’ll have dongs, and more basics. We’ll have masturbators. We’re going to have some basic vibrators that will have a light-up effect.”
She pulls a cock ring made of TPE out of a small black box and turns it on to demonstrate the multicolored lights. “It has three settings. It comes in purple and clear.”
As the lights flash festively, she added, “It’s great for millenials. They’ll love it.”
