Our industry is always welcoming new designs and products from aspiring manufacturers whose aim is to bring their own unique and quirky twist to the market. From past products like the Dodil, to the newer, tech-packed Cellmate Chastity Cage and, more recently, the intriguing Balldo (which I personally can’t wait for!), the adult market is constantly searching for the next big thing. After all, it’s those unusual, exciting ideas that grow into groundbreaking products and consumables.
Building a brand is no easy feat. Trust me; I know this from experience. You need to get so many aspects correct before you have a chance of getting to the forefront of the industry. Let’s explore a few areas that you need to master in order to build your brand.
Although no easy project, the sense of achievement and buzz you’ll get from bringing your idea to life makes it all worthwhile.
THE NAME
Forget design. Forget marketing. If you don’t get the name right, you’re on the wrong path!
Your product name is key to the scale of your sales. Give it a catchy name that will stick in people’s heads, but also describes what your product is or does. There is no point in naming a product something people can’t spell, as they’ll never search for it. Likewise, a long name can be forgettable or confusing. The best product names are short, snappy and sweet.
RESEARCH
Research is essential to your brand. Once you have an idea for a name, get Googling! Find a domain name that fits your product and make sure there are no other brands with the same or similar names. The last thing you want to do is become confused with another brand and possibly leave yourself open to numerous lawsuits in the future.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Every brand needs some sort of social presence. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social outlets, bag those social handles before you launch (even if you don’t intend to use them right away). The more channels that you claim your handle on, the less chance there will be of others trying to copy or impersonate your brand. It’ll also mean that you’ll have uniformity across social media platforms by using the same (or similar) social media handles.
BRAND IDENTITY
Give your brand an identity by using a color palette and use those colors across your packaging, website, products and marketing to enforce your identity and help people to easily recognize your branding. Use your logo as often as you can to let potential consumers know who makes the product and reinforce your brand. If I think of fast food, one of first brands that pops into my head is McDonald’s, and I immediately see that golden M. That’s what you’re aiming for!
Also stick to a limited number of fonts across packaging, marketing, etc., to give your branding a more uniform, recognizable appearance.
Whether you are branding in an informal, casual way or a formal, professional way, make sure you stick to this tone across your brand. Don’t confuse your customers with chatty informality on social media and then ultra-serious, informativeness on your packaging and website. Your customers will struggle to understand where you are coming from.
PRODUCT DESIGN
So, brand built. Product complete. Launch ready.
But whoa there! Have you actually tested it through a feedback panel?
Customer feedback is important to make sure that you get things right the first time. You don’t want to launch and then find that consumers don’t like your product, or find that there are faults or flaws with the product or branding (which can usually be rectified if you are made aware of them).
Test your product yourself. Take time to look carefully at every little detail. Read your packaging and check for mistakes. Question yourself, introduce alternative ideas and let your creativity flow. Then, only once you are completely happy, ask others what they think. Send samples to would-be consumers and ask them for feedback. Find out what they like and what they hate, and then analyze this data in detail.
You may find useful points that need addressing (and in some cases, hear things that you would never have even thought of yourself). If you want to get your launch right, you must listen to the consumer. They hold the key to your success.
I could ramble on about other areas that need to be addressed, as there are so many decisions that need to be made when launching a new product into the market. As you can see, though, it’s no picnic, especially for those who are totally new to the industry. Getting it right the first time is paramount, as getting it wrong can leave a bad taste in your customer’s mouth and leave lasting damage to your brand.
Above everything, I would suggest this one final tip. Whatever you do, don’t rush. It’s hard to correct a mistake so do everything you can to ace it the first time.
Once it’s out there on the shelf and selling, you can reap the benefits of your hard work and you’re bound to feel a great sense of pride about what you’ve done. Although no easy project, the sense of achievement and buzz you’ll get from bringing your idea to life makes it all worthwhile! Now, enough chat. Go get those creative juices flowing!
Daniel Miller has worked in the industry for over 10 years and specializes in adult retail and wholesale.
