As we head into the second year of the pandemic, it's a truly sink-or-swim business environment. Companies in the lubricants sector, however, already knew how to float when confronted with a rather viscous market.
“I believe that the lubricant market is growing faster than the sex toy market since lubricants can be used with or without sex toys and have become important for intimate health, such as boosting arousal or providing extra lubrication for menopausal women,” says Briana Honz-Watkins, vice president of sales and marketing at M.D. Science Lab.
I know my most important responsibility at M.D. Science Lab is to lead our sales team — I strive to motivate them each and every day.
As COVID threatened to drown businesses, the team at M.D. rose above.
“I’m sure everyone can agree that 2020 was a very unique year,” says Honz-Watkins. “We were very fortunate in that our sales increased and we were able to spend time that would have otherwise been spent traveling on developing new products, such as our new Desire by Swiss Navy collection and our 4-in-1 Playful Flavors product range.”
In fact, M.D. Science Lab came charging straight into 2021 without any post-COVID drag. The Desire and Playful Flavors ranges were released just a couple of months ago by press time.
Releasing two new product lines into a market of stressed, exhausted and unemployed consumers might sound like a sketchy decision, though Honz-Watkins' due diligence proved otherwise.
In tune with the up-tick in sex toy sales last year, Honz-Watkins discovered the lubricants market was just as ripe, if not more so, for new product releases in this otherwise risky economic climate.
“I spend much of my free time researching trends within our industry and found that according to studies, people are having much, much more sex during quarantine, including more solo sex and telephone or online sex, which increased the need for quality lubricants,” says Honz-Watkins. “It appears as though this trend will continue in 2021.”
She tells XBIZ the 4-in-1 Playful Flavors range arrived first, largely due to Swiss Navy's retail reputation for affordable, tasty pleasure products.
“We knew these were an important addition to our Swiss Navy brand because we heard from a lot of our customers that consumers were watching their budgets, which for many have become tighter,” Honz-Watkins explains, “and that people were also experiencing the bedroom boredom effects of COVID quarantine.”
The goal was to create an all-in-one product line with four unique uses. Playful Flavors lubes can be used for body-safe lubrication during intercourse, full-body massage, warming temperature play, and as a flavored additive for oral sex. Honz-Watkins lets us in a little R&D secret, too.
“We know consumers have come to trust Swiss Navy for our delicious flavors, and we didn’t want to disappoint, so we worked with a Fortune 500 food company to create our realistic, sugar-free flavors,” she reveals, and asks, “Why stop there?”
The company also introduced the Desire collection, a femme-focused line aimed at providing women with the essentials they need for daily intimate care.
“Desire by Swiss Navy is definitely my passion project and something I headed up from the very start,” says Honz-Watkins. “It was important to me that this collection be created by women, for women, and I know consumers will feel the same way.”
Honz-Watkins explains that the Desire range includes everything necessary for a woman's intimate rituals: a Sensual Arousal Gel, a Massage Cream with Lavender, an antibacterial Toy and Body Cleaner, and an offering of lubricants.
Honz-Watkins found further inspiration for the Desire collection while researching female consumer behavior. She and her team found that women control 85 percent of consumer spending in the U.S. and spend over $36 trillion globally.
When Honz-Watkins isn't crafting a novel lubricants line or diving into market research, she's tending to the people who turn teamwork into dream work.
“I know my most important responsibility at M.D. Science Lab is to lead our sales team. I strive to motivate them each and every day,” says Honz-Watkins. “We do everything as a unified team and this extra care is showing visible results as we continually reach every goal we set.”
Since joining the M.D. Science Lab family, Honz-Watkins has leveraged her network and scooped up fellow pleasure veterans who could hit the ground running.
“I have been able to bring on board some of the people I’ve worked closely with and admired within our industry,” says Honz-Watkins. “These new additions were actually strategic because I have more growth plans in the works. We’re building an exciting future here at Swiss Navy!”
M.D. Science Lab was one of the lucky, few companies who were able to grow their team during the first summer of COVID. Five new industry vets were added shortly after Honz-Watkins took hiring into hand.
“First, I brought on Cheryl Flangel as senior sales executive and Ana Warren as director of sales administration to assist in sales and building a strong foundation for future expansion,” Honz-Watkins reflects.
“And earlier this year,” she says, “our team added Jared Pomerance as a sales executive, Rocky Bowell as our traveling brand ambassador, and Dr. Sunny Rodgers as our marketing and intimate health advisor to round out our team. ”
With nine whole months left in the year, it's anyone's guess as to just how massive M.D. Science Lab's presence can grow. We can only assume it'll be enormous and successful enough to outrun whatever is left of COVID by this winter.
“We have so many exciting things coming up in 2021,” Honz-Watkins exclaims. “We’ll be launching a few more ‘intentional’ products that have solid research behind them and we’ll be sponsoring the creation of the first annual International Lubricant Day on April 22.”
However the rest of the year may play out for events and staff trainings, Honz-Watkins assures us that her team is atthe- ready to undertake their usual customer meetings and retailer visits via Zoom or Skype.
“Plus, as things begin to re-open,” she adds, “we have [brand ambassador] Rocky [Bowell] (aka #RockyOnTheRoad) to visit retailers in person to assist with their individual needs.”
So take that, COVID-19. There's a new bunch of doctors in the house, and they've found the cure for the common corona business woe: uncompromising R&D, teamwork, and a devotion to clients and end consumers alike.
“We want to make sure we continue to create products that end consumers are looking for,” concludes Honz- Watkins, “because we know this is the No. 1 way to help our own customers grow their businesses as well.”
