Lovehoney is celebrating Masturbation May with an OOH billboard campaign urging people to “Scream your own name” as it encourages them to “shout about” their own journey of sexual happiness.
The digital billboard posters – which were created inhouse by the sexual wellness brand – do not feature any Lovehoney product and will be shown for a limited period at Westfield Stratford City, between the hours of 7pm and midnight.
The move comes just weeks after Lovehoney had an advert banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for an ad which included a reference to Prince Harry and an image of a ball gag. The ASA deemed the DOOH advert – which was on display at Clapham Junction Station and featured the words ‘Silence is golden, Harry’ – “inappropriate for outdoor display where it could be seen by children”.
Lovehoney’s chief exec Johannes Plettenberg described the ruling as “another example of the complete censorship of anything remotely sex positive.”
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However, the most recent advert is significantly more discrete as the brand looks to balance its sex-positive approach with the advertising regulations outlined by the ASA.
Lovehoney’s global head of communications and PR, Friederike Lewin, said: “The widespread censorship of sex positivity means that we need to get creative with our advertisement; this time we are respecting the ASA ruling and doing the opposite of what a ball gag does and asking people to scream their own names.”
With its latest ad Lewin said the brand wanted to: “remind everyone that the journey to sexual happiness starts with ourselves”.
“There is no shame in that – so why not shout about it! Exploring our own body and finding out what we like is a healthy habit and helps to communicate our needs to a partner.”
The not-so-in-your-face OOH activation is just one of a number of Lovehoney initiatives focusing on International Masturbation Month.
