Disclaimer: Record Scratch [Freeze Frame] Yup, you’re probably wondering how we got here. A digital marketing agency, writing about the adult industry and Pornhub? Blasphemy! Well, the truth is, the x-rated industry has been a trailblazer in marketing and advertising since the dawn of digital. Don’t worry, this article and all the links are completely SFW (safe for work), so you needn’t worry about reading it in the workplace.

[THE ADULT INDUSTRY] IS AN INDUSTRY WHERE THEY EXAGGERATE THE SIZE OF EVERYTHING.

DAVID KLATELL, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM.
Naked capitalism is on a high, and whilst David Klatell’s quote may have rung true in the year 2001, the adult industry is now reported to be worth approximately $97 billion (Kassia Wosick, Assistant Professor of Sociology at New Mexico State University) – enough to feed 4.8 billion people a day. Despite global revenue dipping circa 2007, mostly owed to the amount of free material available on the web, the x-rated industry makes up 69% of pay-per-view internet content, and 1 in 5 mobile searches are for this adult material.

But just how do they do it? The truth is, the adult industry has benefited massively from a shift in general consensus and opinion worldwide. More so than ever, the public is craving authentic advertisements, and the younger audience is ostensibly more liberal than the generation before them. Nevertheless, the x-rated industry doesn’t have the luxury of being able to publicly showcase offerings on a pedestal. Imagine picking up your mail, opening your email inbox or loading up your Facebook newsfeed, only to see it littered with NSFW advertisements. How does a company that embodies and profits from one of society’s biggest taboos translate its adult content into something that entices people, whilst remaining on the good side of an increasingly woke society?

Pornhub, the largest x-rated site on the internet, receives some of the most impressive statistics. 91,980,225,000 videos viewed in 12 months. More than 60 million visits, per day. Over 4,599,000,000 hours of videos digested. 729 visitors per second aren’t down to just chance as Pornhub, over the last 10 years, has built its brand name up with tactical advertising, philanthropy and, in turn, has landed itself featured in popular culture – arguably blurring the lines of this already opaque industry when it comes to mainstream advertising.

Speaking to Benzinga.com, Pornhub Vice President Corey Price notes, “For us, it’s really just about making ourselves visible in unexpected places. The goal with a lot of what we do is to make [the adult industry] a part of conversations that it typically hasn’t been, like we’ve done with music, fashion and philanthropy, for instance.”

If you were faced with a client in the x-rated marketplace, would you know how to tackle it? Marketing in a regulated industry brings in extra steps. There are always these questions; will we receive legal approval? Will we be granted permission for this billboard? Are we going to be scrutinised by search engines? And, the big important question: will the general public receive it well? Laying the adult industry bare, this article will explore what it takes to market the unmarketable; proving that even the most obscure or challenging brands have the potential and capacity to cause a big stir using subtle, out-the-box tactics.

In 2020, a new player became visible on the porn market – Nubiles Porn. And their most popular project is My Family Pies. I’ts is a fetish site with ~150 movies mostly in Full HD. It all goes on behind closed doors and inside tight pussies. My Family Pies takes the taboo stepfamily sex theme and adds in internal cumshots and creampies as its little bit of extra titillation. It may be small, but it has added 32 movies in the last eight months, and updates have picked up to around 4 a month. Plus, membership here gives you full access, at no additional charge, to 16 sites from the Nubiles Porn network, where they have sites such as Moms teach Sex and Step Siblings Caught.

Give People What They Want

Using consumer data to market more effectively is a tale as old as time. People know what they like and, when you know what they like too, you can serve your product in a way that is enticing. Pornhub has unexpectedly become a leader in delivering data-driven pieces of content and campaigns, overcoming the potential shortfalls of incognito browsing and ad-blockers.

Running a successful micro-site, Pornhub Insights (SFW), has allowed the brand to demonstrate detailed research and analysis into current trends, geolocation preferences and drill down into segmenting its audience and understanding exactly what they like.

As Corey said, speaking to DMN, the media are hungry for data – regardless of the industry. If it has numbers about your audience, as is presented in a report or infographic, it’s only a matter of time until the mainstream media and press catch-on. Numbers are a safe way to promote a brand, without having to explicitly divulge into the product offering; “In [country], X amount of people searched for [genre].”

A great example of how Pornhub cashed in on its audience’s interests was with the birth of Pornhub Records. Simply put, the brand saw its audience liked rap, so they started a hip-hop label. Pornhub launched a national song search contest, offering up $5,000 to make a music video that would be placed on Pornhub TV, with a minimum of 500,000 views – guaranteed. The contest received submissions from rap featuring mature lyrics, right through to what has been dubbed as “erotic folk.” The overlap between Pornhub and the music industry has been ongoing for years, with artists such as Xiu Xiu and FaltyDL debuting clips and music videos on the website, accumulating nearly 73,000 views in the space of 8 months.

Summary

It is possible to market the unmarketable – and with much success, at that. Promoting x-rated companies and businesses in a regulated industry is possible with ethical, SFW tactics, as market-leader Pornhub has continually demonstrated through its 10-year history. With data on your side, humour in your copy, friends in high places, an empathetic team in your office and bold ideas on your drawing board, you can build a global perception for even the most NSFW company.