Wild Secrets proves that desire never retires in newly launched campaign via The Royals

Why knit a blanket when you can be under one? Online sex toy retailer Wild Secrets has set out to break the stigma around sex for older Australians with a campaign via The Royals, encouraging over-65s to embrace their pleasure – with a handy 20% seniors card discount on sex toys.

Aiming to subvert society’s ageist assumptions about what life is like after 65, the ‘Better with Age’ campaign is the latest in Wild Secrets’ broader mission: to normalise sexual pleasure, by showing that sex toys are just as relevant to over-65s as anyone else.

Using traditional media still embraced by older Australians, ‘Better with Age’ kicked off with a 16-page mail-order catalogue and a 20% discount for all Australian senior citizens card holders.

The catalogue, which features accessible toy recommendations and sexologist-approved educational content, was distributed in lifestyle villages across all eight states and territories of Australia, as well as RSLs, golf clubs and bowling clubs.

The discount was also promoted through mobile billboards and a targeted 30-second BVOD spot, and a series of print ads placed in retirement living liftouts of local papers.

Campaign results so far include:

• 10% lift in website visits from customers aged 65+
• 19% lift in transactions from customers aged 65+
• 32% lift in revenue from customers aged 65+
• Wild Secrets is a permanent addition to the Victorian Seniors Card program

‘Better with Age’ was backed by a survey of 500 Australians (aged over 65) by Wild Secrets and Glow, which found that 1 in 3 (33%) of over-65s are already comfortable using or discussing sex toys, and more than half (53% of women over 60 and 55% of men over 60) agree that sex toys can help maximise sexual pleasure in later life.

Says Adam Lea, marketing manager at PHE International: “At a time when sex positivity is on the rise, ageing and sexual pleasure remains a no-go area. Over 65s are hugely underrepresented when it comes to sex – in health documents, popular culture and advertising – and often represented through an ageist lens.

“Our goal at Wild Secrets has always been to help everyone embrace and explore their pleasure, regardless of their demographic.”

Says Andrew Siwka, managing partner, The Royals: “We are incredibly proud of our work with the Wild Secrets team, but seriously, how can you not love a campaign where both the ads and the product put a smile on people’s faces.”

At a glance: Wild Secrets x Glow survey results
• 1 in 3 over 60s feel comfortable using or discussing sex toys, 2 in 3 do not.
• Under 60s are twice as likely to feel comfortable with sex toys.
• Over half of Australians (65%), and Australians over 60 (53%) think that sex toys can help maximise pleasure for over 65s.
• Sexual confidence increases with age for about half of Australians.
• 59% Australians agree that sex toys can help maximise pleasure for over 65s.
• 78% over 60s believe that the greatest myth about sex and ageing is that older people can’t or don’t desire sex.