Anne Meunier is setting the record straight on the French sex toy business. While the country may not really be the bawdy, sexually free land often depicted in American films, Meunier and her team at Lovely Planet are ensuring that France remains a front-runner in pleasure product design and expertise.
As Lovely Planet’s international sales director, Meunier gazes out at the world with a strategic eye. Since joining the company three years ago, Meunier has focused on getting the company’s multiple sex toy brands into the hands of consumers in every country. In the process, she has found that the French do live up to one popular American stereotype: From fashion runways to adult stores, French consumers demand elegance and chicness. That’s why the company’s brands, like Dorcel and Love to Love, lead with aesthetics.
What I like about Europe is that we can be very explicit and direct about the fact that our erotic products are dedicated to sexual pleasure first and above all.
Meunier views Lovely Planet’s home base in France as an ideal hub for growth. She’s successfully integrated the company’s brands into the North American market while keeping tabs on European clients and trends. She also tells us that adopting an international perspective has made for an enriching and rewarding life. Throughout 2022, she hopes to share more of her uniquely European knowledge and hospitable, warm demeanor with her industry peers across the pond.
In homage to our French colleagues and treasured friends, we’re spotlighting Anne Meunier as our WIA Woman of the Month.
XBIZ: How is business at Lovely Planet? What are consumers seeking lately as we finally head out of COVID closures?
Meunier: Business is booming, and all channels and markets are very dynamic now. I’ve asked all of our partners how they had been doing in November and from Russia to North America, all customers have received a great number of orders with a huge boost during the Black Friday weekend. This end-of-year goes hand in hand with reunions, sharing, pleasure and a vacation period. It’s also conducive to letting go — the desire to discover or rediscover oneself, to have fun, and to live magical, unique moments.
XBIZ: Tell our American readers a bit about what you do at Lovely Planet. What is your role and main area of contribution at the company?
Meunier: Lovely Planet has a unique position as a multibrand company. We are first and foremost a designer and manufacturer, and we have been in the pleasure market for 18 years. What makes us unique is that we create products that are efficient and intuitive with a focus on aesthetic criteria first to create a very strong desire within consumers.
I joined the company three years ago with the objective of opening the North American market and creating new partnerships in America. Now that it is done, I hope to spend as much time as possible with our customers in 2022 to maintain this growth. My main contribution is to create a true customer relationship culture. The customer is the key to our success. They are precious and must receive our full attention. I have created communication tools that regularly inform our customers of our news and I ask our teams to be very proactive.
XBIZ: What led you to join Lovely Planet? Was the sexual health industry always of interest to you while exploring your career options?
Meunier: It happened totally by chance. I previously worked almost 20 years in telecommunications. What attracted me was the international development side of the job, so I applied for the job on LinkedIn. The pleasure industry was not an issue, and I must say, it feels great to work in an industry that provides fun and changes people’s lives.
XBIZ: Can you share what it’s like to work in the French sector of the industry? How are the business-to-business client relationships on your side of the world?
Meunier: France is our home base and here we have a strong position to explore all business opportunities from the mainstream industry to the adult industry with our brands. We are very much in demand in the health, beauty and even fashion industries. The new love shops that are opening are all online players.
XBIZ: Looking at France on the consumer side, what kind of pleasure products are popular right now with French consumers? Is sexuality a comfortable topic for French people?
Meunier: Sexuality is a taboo subject for the French, who are mostly Catholics, except maybe for the millennials, who seek accessories that symbolize adventure, freedom, pleasure and play. The toys that attract new, younger consumers are creative, colorful and affordable, and they look nothing like a phallus. On the other hand, the toys that attract a more expert and older audience have a much more explicit shape.
XBIZ: What are your plans for yourself and your team at Lovely Planet in 2022? Do you have any big goals or exciting changes coming up?
Meunier: My biggest wish for 2022 is to be able to travel again to interact face-to-face with our customers and re-create that emotional connection when they discover and touch our products. Our goal in 2022 is to continue to grow strongly in North America, and to expand into the Russian and Chinese markets. We will continue to feed the market with innovative products with minimalist aesthetics and renovate the visual identity and packaging of two of our six brands, Love to Love and Dorcel. We are very excited to share these changes with our customers.
XBIZ: What would you like the greater pleasure industry to know about the French pleasure products space? What do you love about working in this industry in France and being a part of the European sex toy world?
Meunier: I mentioned above that sexuality is still a taboo subject in France, but there is a strong demand for couples’ products that embody pleasure and fantasy if they have nice designs and serve as symbols of elegance and audacity. It’s that French glamour chic that Dorcel, one of the brands we manufacture, embodies to perfection.
What I like about Europe is that we can be very explicit and direct about the fact that our erotic products are dedicated to sexual pleasure first and above all. Elsewhere, we must approach things in a more nuanced way, from the point of view of well-being or health. To be present everywhere in Europe and in the world, I adapt to the different cultures. I carefully choose the words to use. Gender neutrality, for example, does not exist in the French language. Having to adopt it is very enriching and rewarding.
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.