Philips Unveils Massager for Couples

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"How do you discuss a topic like this with a group of mainly men with whom you have no personal relationship?" But Struyck, who was used to tackling sensitive topics thanks to her previous role as European brand manager for Always, the sanitary pads made by Procter & Gamble (PG), managed to convince her colleagues the idea was worth exploring.

Company Firewall

Figuring out the potential size of the market wasn't easy. "Googling at our desks we'd constantly hit the company firewall," Struyck recalls with a laugh. "And there's not exactly any Nielsen data available."

So Struyck approached Philips's consumer lifestyle incubator to get the funding needed for customized consumer research. The company ran focus groups and studies across several markets, but soon found that consumers were especially receptive in Britain, where sex toy and lingerie chain Ann Summers can be found on the main shopping streets of most British towns. The research showed that 42% of couples surveyed in Britain were already using some sort of so-called marital aid. And of those who weren't, 35% were willing to try it.

Of course, moving into a potentially controversial area could pose risks for the Philips brand—but not surprisingly, the company disagrees. It believes that the discreet packaging, premium positioning, and tasteful marketing campaign will silence any potential backlash. Philips plans to focus its marketing around upmarket publications such as Vogue and GQ, as well as targeted ads aimed at couples on Facebook. Indeed, Struyck says the extensive research conducted by the company indicates the Philips brand might even be enhanced: When consumers were asked whether they would buy a massager if it were made by Philips, the number of people who said yes increased by one-third.

Why Britain?

Why launch in Britain and not in Philips' famously tolerant home market? Mainly because massagers and other marital aids are already big business in Britain. Sales of similar products there total $130 million last year and are expected to increase to more than $200 million in the next three years. Philips says its research indicates that the new range of intimate massagers could boost the market by an additional $120 million.

Armed with that research, Struyck and her team used the rest of the seed money from the incubator (Philips won't disclose how much it spent to develop the product range) on creating preliminary designs. Using fast protoyping, Philips simultaneously developed the technical functionality and the appearance of the product. But operation of the first model wasn't intuitive enough, Struyck says—a big problem for a company whose new brand image is built around the notion of "sense and simplicity." So designers came up with an improved user interface.

With the product now hitting the shelves, Philips hopes the massager will prove a popular gift choice during the coming holiday season. Struyck says there are already a number of other potential products in the pipeline. "We have an ambitious vision of how to build this category," she says. The focus, she says, will be about enhancing the emotional side of intimacy.

"We have an ambitious five-year plan to build this category," she says. "We can tap Philips' competence in everything from lighting to sound to create a broad range of opportunities."

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Capell is a senior writer in BusinessWeek's London bureau .