In early 2009, when AVN Novelty Business magazine last caught up with the team at Pjur, the makers of the world’s best-selling silicone personal lubricant (Pjur Original Bodyglide) were in the midst of launching a widespread branding campaign—called Elements of Love—at the Venus Trade Show in Berlin.
Shortly before the AVN Novelty Expo, we checked back in, chatting with Pjur CEO Richie Harris to find out how the recent campaign went, which strategies might emerge in an increasingly competitive field, and what’s next for Pjur. Staying on top in the personal lubricant game is a slippery business, but it’s something Pjur seems adept at handling in the long run.
When we last reported on Pjur, you were launching a massive new campaign. How did it go, and what was the response?
We launched the new campaign at Venus—Elements of Love. It was an emotional branding campaign. We found a lot of advertisements lacking emotional components. We wanted messaging that was not overtly sexual or dirty. We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from consumers. It’s all about the love.
Pjur has been in business since 1995. What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the last 15 years?
We were the first silicone lubricant, so there have been lots of changes since everyone’s got a silicone lubricant now. There are lots of bad lubricants out there. Consumers tell us people don’t like lubricants that don’t last long or leave residue. Ours is slippery, lasts long and doesn’t need cleanup. We offer the best possible lubricant we can put on the market.
We’ve followed that quality, luxury path. And by luxury, that doesn’t mean you have to be the most expensive. We have to continue to grow; we are still growing after 14-plus years. We don’t look at our competition too closely or you get off your game—we’re an industry leader. We were rated No. 1 by Men’s Fitness magazine as best sexual lubricant. [Pjur was also rated No. 1 by Self magazine as the best lubricant for women. —Ed.]
Sexual enhancers are a huge part of today’s novelty market. What can you tell us about Pjur sexual enhancement products?
Our sexual enhancers are all herbal, made from gingko extract and jojoba. For example, in our anal product, jojoba is used to relax those muscles. Jojoba has been used for thousands of years. It goes through the mucous membrane easily—you can feel it actually do something. It’s comfortable, without relaxing too much. Lidocaine and benzocaine have been taken off the market in Europe and Canada. Pjur won’t use them. We use jojoba and lauromacrogol in our Anal Ease, which lightly desensitizes. It’s a pleasurable product. With the spray, the consumer has the control of how much to numb it out—you can control it. Health and safety are tantamount to us.
What’s the difference in lubricants designed for use by men versus lubricants designed specifically for women’s pleasure?
Women’s products are less viscous so they migrate through a woman’s system faster. Women don’t like the feeling of lubricant inside of them. We design everything a little softer, smoother and thinner for women. Men have more pores than women; men’s skin isn’t as sensitive. Women’s ingredients have different percentages to account for sensitivities.
Some people prefer the feel of lotion instead of lubricants during intercourse; however, most lotions aren't safe for use with condoms. Does Pjur offer anything that has the feel of a thicker lotion versus a more slippery lube that is also safe to use with a condom?
Our silicone gel is thicker. We offer it in three viscosities: original, light and thicker. In our water-based product, we offer original and a thick gel. We also offer a cream, Cream Glide. We also have one coming out for men that feels like a hand cream. It even leaves your skin soft.
What are some of your successes?
Creating sexual enhancement products outside the lubricant category. We have My Glide My Spray, which increases the blood flow for women and makes the sexual experience more exciting. All our anal products are selling well. The Pjur Man line is doing incredibly; our Pjur Man Extreme Glide is the best lubricant made by us. Ninety-five percent of the time, Pjur products are picked in blindfold consumer tests.
How do you think the difficult economy is affecting people’s sex lives?
The internet is opening up sex lives. There are more swingers, more people staying home and having more sex. It’s a more sexually free world.
What is next for Pjur?
Our personal cleaning lotion, Med Clean, is doing really well. Our cleaning product is anti-viral, kills viruses and bacteria, fungus and even yeast infections. There is a whole shelf of products being launched at the AVN show. I’ll tell you about one now: Pjur Repair, with hyaluronan. It helps repair micro-scratches and tears that happen during sex.
What are some of the challenges you face, and how does your company plan to overcome them?
Innovation—we continue to innovate. We offer the best product we can, sticking to our core ideals. The economy is tough. We’re somewhat insulated from it, but not completely. We don’t feel we have to compete against cheap lubes.
For more information, visit Pjur.com, or call +352-748989.
This article originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of AVN.
