Design for pleasure — ANUSHKA KALRO

A RESEARCH & INNOVATION PROJECT FOR RECKITT’S SEXUAL WELLNESS BRANDS

Driving brand affinity by empowering sexual pleasure for the womxn* consumer

*womxn is an inclusive term comprising those born biologically female and those that identify as women in an emotional capacity

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PROJECT PLAN

A strategic approach to moving the creative lens of the brand from wellness to pleasure with womxn at the heart of the brand

Studying the work of peers in the domain of sexual pleasure for womxn. A literature review and secondary research to understand the landscape of the sexual experience for womxn.

Secondary Research

Using an informed lens to define a line of enquiry with a keen focus on unearthing three core concepts for womxn; Confidence, Connection, and Communication shaping their sexual experience.

Discovery

Identifying pain points, pleasures, and uncovering deep drivers in user behaviors. Creating unique consumer concept maps aligned to lived experiences of womxn consumers across demographics.

Sensemaking

Developing and testing an innovation toolkit and framework to refine creative briefing for consumer product brands to move their innovation ‘from functional to feeling’.

Innovation Toolkit

Testing the toolkit with users to craft new product, service or experience briefs in whitespace opportunities for the brand. Simulating the messaging for the new initiatives to add value.

Co-creation

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Identifying the premise for future research

This research was informed by studying over 25 books ranging from the Kamasutra to books on physiology, and by studying a multitude of peer reviewed journals, podcasts, and blogs.

Identifying the landscape of literature

Using Atlas.ai, one was able to create recurring themes and identify the shared context of sexual experiences across time, geographies, and lived experiences.

Using artificial intelligence to code concepts

With a keen lens on USA, the oldest democracy, and India, the largest democracy, the research sought to understand the effects of social and cultural influences on the womxn.

Social and cultural influences

The emerging themes and sentiments presented in the research are defined by the gender gap, self-image, safety, and autonomy experienced by womxn in their lives and sex lives.

Sentiment analysis

Confidence, Connection, and Communication emerged as three core concepts, informing the lens for inquiry as the research progressed to study womxn from Urban USA and India.

The three Cs

CONSUMER RESEARCH

Discovering deep drivers in the attitudes, values and behaviors of womxn in Urban USA and Urban India in lieu of the autonomy and experiences of sexual pleasure.

Survey findings and research insights

Discovering Sex

Enquiry about the early experiences and discovery of sex and sentiments aligned to sexual desire.

Defining Intimacy

Mapping their journeys of exploration with sexuality and understanding what sexual pleasure is to them.

Deep drivers & Desires

Unearthing their feelings, wonders, emotions and their descriptions of the experience of orgasm.

IDENTIFYING PATTERNS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The innovation landscape

To understand the user and the context of interaction between Reckitt’s three core brands in the sexual wellness space, a deep dive comprised

Value proposition canvas

Market opportunity study

Consumer archetype mapping

Competitor analysis

Psychographic models

SENSEMAKING

The consumers // Their lived experiences

TRANSLATING USER INSIGHTS

Consumer Concept Maps

Regardless of age and location, womxn exhibited similar behaviors. The attitudes, behaviors, and values aligned across expected norms, aligning to lived experiences. As a brand design strategist, it was intuitive to see the consumers as brand concepts, affording more creativity. Each consumer could be defined not as an archetype or demographic, but as an identity map akin to Kapfarer’s brand identity prism.

The seeker // Visualizing a consumer concept

To help the creative teams within the brand understand their consumers more intuitively, the consumer concept maps are a seed to visualize a day in the life of their consumers, and assert a visual and verbal rhetoric to address who they are creating value for and why.

THE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITY

How might the brand meet the consumers’ true needs?

Identifying a difference in core values and the vernacular of sexual pleasure messaging

As the leading manufacturer of sexual wellness consumer products, the brands at Reckitt contribute to disruptive scientific innovation. However, the messaging is largely concern focused, being more cause and effect focused.

Our womxn customers express themselves in deeply emotional ways.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEVERAGE THIS RESEARCH

How might Reckitt innovate to be beloved by womxn on their journey of sexual pleasure and confidence?

An interactive visual toolkit to reframe innovation briefing

In traditional consumer product contexts, innovation is science led. It precedes the efforts of brand and marketing. To drive deeper brand affinity, move the messaging from functional to feeling, and develop new products, the Functional to Feeling Innovation toolkit and Visual Creative briefing framework were conceptualized as a solution.