As the scale and potential of the market in the UK and Europe is still untested, we wonder what are the chances of nudge nudge succeeding in what is rapidly becoming a crowded marketplace?

Nudge nudge’s plans to take a sizeable share of the market rely, according to managing director Anni Nolan, on the company’s ability to build a brand that consumers can trust, and one which, above all, represents the company’s twin mantras of accessibility and comfort.

Nolan asserts: “We want to get to the stage where people feel as comfortable buying a sex toy as they would buying a toothbrush. Despite the growth in the market in the UK, and the much higher profile that the sex sector now enjoys, our market research shows that there remains a certain stigma among consumers that buying a sex toy is a seedy activity. We aim to change that.”

So how can these entrenched perceptions be changed? And will nudge nudge’s efforts serve to aid its competitors’ marketing activities as well?

“I think if the sector gains a higher profile overall, becomes more acceptable, more boring even, then that can only be a good thing for us. We’re building a brand that we think is going to present a serious challenge to both the incumbent, Ann Summers”—a pleasure retailer in the UK—“and the other smaller players in the market,” says Nolan.

PR will form a central plank of the growth strategy according to Nolan. “Bill Gates once said if Microsoft’s marketing budget was only a dollar, he’d spend it on PR. We’re building market share, not defending it. For that, you need great PR. And with the amount of articles and news items being written about this industry—from matchmaking services, to sex toys to speed dating parties, it’s crazy not to grab ourselves a slice of that.”

Apart from PR, nudge nudge intends to run a guerrilla marketing campaign in London’s, and then Europe’s, hottest bars and nightspots. The gay community—notoriously difficult to market to—are seen by nudge nudge as important early adopters. The company has adopted the strapline “Everyone’s invited” with the site divided into three sections: Boys Who Like Boys, Girls Who Like Girls, and Everyone Else.

But will an attempt to be inclusive lead to a brand that is diffuse, appealing to everyone and no one at the same time? “I think because this is such a ubiquitous market sector, we kind of have to work it that way,” Nolan responds. “Not everyone has a bank account; not everyone owns a TV or a car, despite what the advertisers would have us think. But sex is a part of all our lives. We aim to tap into that. And we’re confident that the brand attributes that nudge nudge represents will appeal across a broad enough spectrum of the market to give us the market share and growth potential we’re looking for. The day we get a feature in the Daily Mail”—a newspaper that leans right in the UK—“is the day we know the marketing campaign is really working.”

The site and, therefore, the business went live on 20 October. The dot-com model (one that was much criticized after the tech shake-out) that nudge nudge have opted for will rely on impeccable customer service, discretion and a world-class supply chain. Beyond that, it remains to be seen whether nudge nudge will endure past the one-night-stand status to become a global, dominant brand in this fast-growing market.

Mark Jarvis is a freelance journalist, based in London.