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Now that we as a culture have become inured to marketing for such once-taboo topics as erectile dysfunction, personal lubrication and manscaping, get ready for the ad world to literally hit bottom.
As in, recreational enemas.
You still there?
No, we’re not pulling this one out of our butt. C.B. Fleet Inc., the Lynchburg, Virginia, company synonymous with at-home disposable colonics, debuts a new product this month specifically for what they’ve termed “elective rectal cleansing.”
And, since any new product requires an advertising campaign, Fleet is buying space starting in June in the national gay monthly Out as well as 10 regional publications and various popular websites aimed at gay and lesbian readers. Fleet also will try online ads on general-interest health websites like MensHealthdotcom and Preventiondotcom, “but certainly, it’s an easy and efficient target to reach LGBT media,” said Emily Klopp, senior brand manager for Fleet Naturals.
“We’ve always known that some of our consumers were using Fleet enemas for reasons other than to relieve constipation, so we wanted to develop a product that would meet the needs of those users and provide them with a safe way to cleanse and frequently if desired,” Klopp said.
Between Fleet and private label brands, consumers buy about $30 million in enemas annually. Fleet dominates the market, though because it’s a private company, it won’t disclose specific sales figures. Fleet’s new version hits shelves at CVS drug stores and Target this month, followed by Walgreens next month and Rite-Aid in June. Wal-Mart is the only major retailer so far to balk at carrying it, Klopp said.
The company commissioned polling firm Harris Interactive last year to research the market potential and found that 3.7 percent of the general population had used an enema to “electively rectally cleanse” in the prior year. A study focusing specifically on gay and bisexual men found 21 percent of them had done so. Yet Harris found the two populations do so for different reasons: 80 percent of the general population said they used an enema for “health and well-being” while 87 percent of gay and bisexual men said they did so as a precursor to “anal intimacy.” About 38 percent of the general population said they used enemas for “anal intimacy”; respondents were permitted to select more than one answer.
To market the product in a manner that doesn’t gross anyone out, Fleet turned to Euro RSCG. The ad firm produced a series of print ads showing, for instance, a donkey–A.K.A. ass–above the tagline: “Keep it clean. Naturally.”
Gay marketing expert Mike Wilke gave Fleet kudos for even acknowledging this market when, not long ago, it might have been too icky to embrace.
“Especially because we’re talking about a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising to begin with, it’s meaningful that they’re advertising at all, that they’re advertising in a charming way and they’re going after a market that companies don’t always go after,” said Wilke.
While Fleet is clearly embracing the implicit pre-anal-sex element of the new product for gay and bisexual male customers, they also believe the “health and well-being” market is the bigger potential opportunity.
“We ran focus groups and one person said it helped him think clearly, that he needs to cleanse daily to get thru the day,” Klopp said. “Without it, he said he feels muddled.”
Others claimed electively cleansing helped with weight loss and acne, although Klopp is quick to note that there is no research to support any such health benefits. The packaging makes a similar disclaimer.
The Fleet Naturals line appears in a mocha-colored box and has important differences from its famous green-boxed forebear. Whereas the traditional enema contains a laxative because it is chiefly intended to relieve constipation, Fleet Naturals has no active ingredient but contains aloe to enhance the sought-after fresh sensation. The original version used a petroleum-based lubricant on its tip, but the new one uses a water-based lube, a nod to the fact that it may be deployed in close proximity to sexual intercourse with latex condoms that can break when they interact with petroleum products.
One of Fleet’s arguments for its Naturals line is that it is safer for regular use than using the laxative-inducing version and more effective and hygienic than other methods people use to anally douche.
“They’re bringing a new SKU onto the shelf in their product category by having something that’s distinct in the marketplace,” Wilke said. “It may be hard to grow the market but they can steal a share from another aspect of the category. The market can also be people who are using showerheads.”
Indeed, Klopp insisted that’s precisely the goal.
“I think it would be a tough sell to tell someone who has never rectally cleansed before that they need to try it,” she said. “That could be an objective for Year 2 or 3.”
