THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Kama Sutra, a manufacturer of personal care and intimacy products, said it ended 2007 with record growth.
Cheryl Flangel, director of U.S. distributor sales, told AVN Novelty Business that December 2007 followed a pattern of record growth that continued throughout the year.
"We have been on fire this year," she said. "It's been hard to keep up with the amazing increase in orders that we've seen. In 1969, [founder] Joe Bolstad started with one product, the Original Oil of Love. Since then, the company has flourished and now offers over 50 SKUs."
In recent years, Flangel said, Kama Sutra has found it necessary to re-establish itself.
"With lots of imitators coming into the market and a plethora of ‘me too' brands, the company realized that it was time to reclaim its ground," she said. "A new management team was hired and a product line review was put into action."
Additionally, Beverly Pollington-Sirjani joined the company as its senior vice president to help reposition the brand.
"The first thing we did was to go back to the drawing board and look at every item in the line," she said. "We sent out questionnaires, talked with customers and really listened to what they had to say."
The result was a revamped image, better descriptions, improved photography and packaging that features multiple languages, Pollington-Sirjani said.
"When the first items rolled off the line we, all looked at each other and smiled," she added. "We knew we had created a finished product that was still true to our core look and feel but really took us into the 21st century."
Flangel said Kama Sutra immediately saw a jump in the number and frequency of orders.
"Kama Sutra is looking forward to an equally amazing 2008," she said. "Look out for new products in the spring and more additions to the ever-expanding line. After almost 40 years in the business, Kama Sutra is proud to say that it's still doing what it does best: making love better."
"We have so much planned for 2008," Pollington-Sirjani added. "We will be aggressively marketing our products through multiple channels, including print advertising, event marketing and celebrity endorsement. We have a great program lined up for the year."
