Although Sportsheets Inc. offers a number of restraints and novelties that appeal to a wide assortment of fantasies, we don’t view ourselves as a bondage or fetish company per se; nor do the majority of the couples and women that constitute our customer base.
If you take a look at our product catalog, you’ll surely agree that we’re not very fetish. We have a wide range of products, including items that can appeal to the hardcore bondage enthusiast, but we’ve built our company on soft, safe, “vanilla” bondage gear.
The majority of our Sportsheets catalog consists of items for couples to enjoy together; not a single item is designed primarily for individual use. Last year we launched Flirt by Sportsheets, a line created specifically for women that is geared toward the home-party market but also fits perfectly alongside the softer stock that most retailers place in the front section of their stores.
However, our reputation as a bondage and fetish company continues to consistently land us, or rather our products, in the dungeon.
The problem of perception
One useful technique that Sportsheets incorporates into the educational seminars that we conduct for retailers and distributors across the country perfectly illustrates the challenge of being labeled as a “bondage” company. We always ask those attending to tell us the first thing that comes to their mind when they think of bondage—and the three most frequent responses are invariably whips, chains, and pain. Then we provide everyone in the room with a soft colorful blindfold and a Pleasure Feather, asking them to put the blindfold on before gently brushing the feather tickler against their faces. After the purrs of pleasure begin, we congratulate them for having joined the ranks of those who enjoy bondage without having to be whipped, be chained, or experience any pain.
Closing off one of your senses to heighten another is an elementary yet functional definition of bondage, and, yes, using a blindfold that blocks your sense of vision to heighten the luxurious tactile sensations that feathers provide does technically constitute bondage play.
Bondage and fetish can be as a vanilla or extreme as you want it—and recognizing that is the key to marketing such items to couples and women. The reality remains that most people don’t view purchasing a blindfold, a pair of handcuffs, or a feather tickler as preparing for bondage play; they think of it as fun and sexy.
Pink does not belong in the dungeon
The consumer who heads straight to the bondage/fetish section of a store, – often referred to as “the dungeon” and easily identified by the whips, ball gags, and leather gear – isn’t the consumer who’s looking for feather ticklers. In fact, our core consumers are very likely avoiding that area for the simple reason that the preconceived notion of bondage involves pain. Also, they might be seen in that section, leading others to believe that they were in some way deviant—not to say that there’s anything wrong with people who enjoy shopping in the dungeon, but some people may find that area intimidating and prefer to avoid it.
Sure, our harder items like the classic 5 Piece Hog Tie & Cuff Set or the popular Leash & Collar belong in the traditional dungeon, but the Pink Prisoner Kit, which includes such playful items as pink fur-lined cuffs, a pink blindfold, and a pink Starburst Tickler is just way too cute for an experienced bondage player, and it belongs in a place where your average woman or couple can find it as they browse the front area of a retail store.
Packaging and product revolution
The couples market is taking over. Even retailers that used to report that 80 percent of their clientele comprised single men are now finding that 50 percent of their clientele is composed of couples—and women tend to be the decision makers when couples are shopping for novelties together.
For retailers, we recommend merchandising cute items in the front of the store, as well as establishing a couples/intercourse section so that couples can find things they are looking for without finding things that would make them uncomfortable.
The responsibility for marketing to couples and women not only lies with retailers but with manufacturers, too. At Sportsheets, we are constantly working on improving our packaging and products to reflect the new marketplace.
One of our goals with the Flirt line was to expand women’s perception of fantasy and restraint play. We accomplished this, in part, by purposely choosing colors for our products that aren’t generally associated with bondage. We selected colors that we knew would appeal specifically to women: fuchsia, reds, and pinks.
This new approach to color applies to our packaging as well, with the overall effect projecting an atmosphere of sophistication for our harder items, while establishing a fun, playful vibe for our softer items.
Sportsheets utilizes intimate images on our packaging to communicate to consumers that the product is something that couples can use together. We avoid nudity because we really believe that being sexy doesn’t require baring it all. Our emphasis is on sensual, sexy, and seductive. We’re “flirty,” not sleazy, and that’s an integral part of our approach to marketing to couples and women.
