When we think of leaders in product manufacturing, whether in the mainstream or the sexual wellness industry, most renowned brands that start with one or only a few products eventually expand their product lines. Motivations for doing so can include FOMO, cross-selling to new customer segments or increasing return customer rates. Thus, Spanx introduced new product styles, Crocs added new colorways and Moleskin eventually offered new sizes and shapes to round out their core product offerings.
All companies face a risk of becoming irrelevant, especially as more competitors enter the market and lower-priced options make their way into stores. To avoid brand extinction, most companies stand ready to reinvent themselves if the market requires it. Especially as a business grows in revenue and stability, the temptation to create a new version of your halo product, or a new product altogether, can be impossible to resist.
It’s the quality of the product and the focus on education that creates a sustainable company culture.
Once their core product has achieved initial success and brand notoriety, new manufacturers in particular can take two approaches when it comes to serving their market. One is to utilize your previous success as a springboard for creating new products. The other is to stay true to your core product, maintain a clear vision and simply focus on delivering the best product in your niche. Few in any industry choose the latter.
One such company is Uberlube, which continues to recommit to its core values and what it does best.
Praised for its natural feel, long-lasting performance and minimal list of body-safe ingredients, Uberlube has sustained a single-product concept that has not only become a staple of the sexual wellness industry but has also made its way into the sports and haircare markets without straying from its original award-winning formula.
While there have been hundreds of alterations and adjustments to the Uberlube formula over the years, the company’s stated intention has been to keep its product anchored in purity and simplicity, with each small batch created and tested for quality and safety in its Illinois facility. This approach has paid off in the form of consistently positive reviews from both consumers and sexual wellness experts.
Additionally, Uberlube has seemingly achieved the holy grail of manufacturing: creating a globally renowned product with cult status, being an industry leader, sustaining long-term relationships with returning customers and embodying brand integrity at the retail level.
2022 marks a milestone for Uberlube Inc. as it celebrates 12 years under the ownership of Jack Magnusen, Stephen Magnusen and John Epler. The company marked the occasion with a memorable synchronized swimming performance for attendees of the ANME Founders Show in July.
Uberlube’s lead educator, Amy Baldwin, elaborated on how the company’s genesis and core values helped to catalyze its brand’s endurance and long-lasting appeal.
XBIZ: How did Uberlube generate word of mouth when the brand first launched?
Baldwin: When Uberlube first launched, Stephen worked endlessly at getting it into people’s hands. The bottle sold itself and the feel kept people coming back for more. Uberlube stood out on the shelf immediately, but it’s the quality of the product and the focus on education that creates a sustainable company culture.
XBIZ: Is it true that, to this day, only three people know the exact formulation of your signature product?
Baldwin: Absolutely!
XBIZ: For those who haven’t tried it, can you expand on how Uberlube “lets skin feel and interact with skin in a way that’s natural and intimate” and “reduces friction, not sensation”?
Baldwin: Our unique formula is designed to give the user control over their experience. For most people, they use lubricant to enhance the experience because Uberlube is long-lasting and there when you want it, and then it blends in with your skin when you are ready to move on. Uberlube contains a small amount of vitamin E, giving it that velvety, almost powdery feel. Most Uberlube fans say it offers just the right amount of thickness, reducing friction for an extended period of time, but not in a way that limits skin-on-skin contact. In fact, many people report they actually love the way Uberlube feels on their bodies. From athletes to folks using it for chafing during those hot summer days, to people using it to add some silky shine to their hair or skin, the overall consensus is, “We never knew lube could be this good.”
XBIZ: What kind of creative or organic marketing strategies help keep Uberlube a top brand in the lube market and on retail shelves?
Baldwin: Foremost in our marketing strategy is a commitment to education. From the general public to the medical profession, Uberlube educators are changing opinions about lube every day. We highly value relationships with sex-positive leaders in a variety of fields. We sponsor events and also work with a number of sex educators and sex-positive podcasters. We continue to prioritize our relationships with retailers by distributing our own product and supporting events and marketing initiatives at the store level. Our team has expanded and we now have Uberlube Ambassadors in different regions throughout the U.S.
XBIZ: Were folks in the sports and haircare industries at any point skeptical or hesitant to hear the Uberlube pitch about lube and its versatility?
Baldwin: Our customers love the many uses of Uberlube. We are consistently getting feedback about new uses. As far as the industries go, it actually makes sense to them since they understand what silicone is used for. More often than not, they are amazed with the formulation as it works without many of the additives in other products.
XBIZ: Will the company continue to tweak its classic silicone formula in the future, or has it reached peak performance?
Baldwin: We will always try to make improvements based on available components, but we are committed to our texture and viscosity developed to satisfy a variety of customers.
XBIZ: Has positive feedback and demand from consumers or retailers ever tempted Uberlube to make a water-based formula?
Baldwin: We are always working on new ideas. What we are loyal to is quality. When we do introduce a new formula, it will have the same premium quality as our silicone-based lube.
XBIZ: Aside from having a great product, how can boutique brands in the sexual wellness industry achieve organic exposure and awareness to gain traction in such a competitive market?
Baldwin: Get ready to pound some pavement. Word of mouth will always be the best advertising so get your product into the hands of your demographic as soon as possible. Also, make sure you are 100% passionate about what you are offering or creating. Whether that passion is related to how your product will help people, or the way it expresses your artistry or gift as an entrepreneur, your love or passion for your offering will likely support your growth.
