TOKYO—Japanese pleasure brand Tenga is marking this year’s Masturbation May Campaign with a new international content initiative that connects sexual wellness with global street culture.
Titled “Gear Up, Dude!” the campaign brings together athletes and creators from the worlds of BMX, drifting, bike messenger, music and comedy lifestyle cultures “to challenge outdated taboos around men’s pleasure,” a Tenga representative said.
Through a series of short videos and social media content, the campaign features “dudes performing their craft while sharing a simple message with their totally gnarly audience: Gearing up with pleasure items to take care of your sexual wellness is as normal as gearing up for any other activity,” the rep added.
While conversations around sexual wellness have become more open in recent years, men’s pleasure products still carry lingering stigma in many communities, according to Tenga. The company’s “Gear Up, Dude!” initiative approaches the topic “through the lens of street culture: environments where authenticity, self-expression and personal identity are central values.”
By collaborating with athletes and entertainers who are already respected members of street culture communities, the campaign seeks to present male pleasure items “not as something secretive or isolating, but as a natural part of self-care and personal well-being,” the rep said. “The core message of the campaign is straightforward: if you gear up for your passions, you can gear up for your pleasure, too.”
The campaign features a growing lineup of international creators and athletes with strong followings across their respective fields, including:
“Men’s pleasure is still surrounded by unnecessary stigma in many places,” said Rika Adachi, global marketing manager at Tenga. “Through ‘Gear Up, Dude!’ we’re collaborating with creators and athletes who value authenticity and self-expression, to show that sexual wellness, including the use of pleasure products, can be a natural and healthy part of everyday life.”
Each participant appears in short-form content sharing their perspective on why normalizing conversations around men’s pleasure matters.
The collaboration with street creators also builds on a long-standing relationship between Tenga and action sports culture. Over the years, the brand has partnered with athletes and creators across the skateboarding, BMX and surf communities, including lifestyle creator Eazy Miss, with whom Tenga released a limited-edition skateboard; collaborations with streetwear brand RipNDip on a special Tenga Cup design; and a long-running sponsorship of Gomez. Tenga has also supported BMX competitions and other action-sport events.
By placing the message in cultural spaces, Tenga aims to reach audiences who may never have encountered conversations about male pleasure products before. The content will be posted to Tenga Global’s Instagram page @TENGA_Global.
Alongside the content series, Tenga will celebrate Masturbation May with a sitewide promotion across its online stores. Throughout the month of May, customers can use the code MM10 to receive 10 percent off all products, with unlimited use during the campaign period.
For more on Tenga’s selection of pleasure products for men and couples, visit Tenga.co.
