Page 58 - AVN July 2016

FEATURE
remains true to this day,” Ron said.
“Personally, it makes me proud to have
a family of people that I look forward to
working with every day. All of us at Doc
Johnson take enormous pride in our
legacy and ensuring its future success.”
And Ron, who still will visit the
manufacturing floor and chip in when
needed, brought his children into the
fold in more recent years. In addition to
Chad, who has risen through the ranks
at the company, daughter Erica is Doc
Johnson’s marketing coordinator.
Spanning generations and
representing the past, present and
future of the company—as well as
a segment of the pleasure product
industry—each of the Bravermans
brings a different perspective on
where the industry, and Doc Johnson
specifically, has been and where it’s
headed.
“There really wasn’t an erotic market
in 1976, in the traditional sense,” Ron
Reelin’ in the Years Bottom left, Ron bestows
the first Perfect Attendance Award in the late 1970s;
bottom right, sales manager Ken Dorfman, production
manager Jerry Cohn and packaging supplier Harry
Krigsman, early 1980s. Top photos, the current staff on
the Doc Johnson campus, indoors and out.
58 | AVN.com | 7.16
said. “Sex toys were being lumped in with other
types of novelty products. The market was prime
for a business that was devoted solely toward
sensual needs. Doc Johnson was the natural
response to that demand.
“In 1976, the Doc Johnson factory in North
Hollywood was just 1,500 square feet and had
nine employees. Now, 40 years later, Doc Johnson
is the largest pleasure products manufacturer in
America, with a family of more than 500 team
members, multiple buildings on a campus of more
than 250,000 square feet, and a catalogue of more
than 2,000 products,” he continued.
“We’re especially proud of the extraordinary
results we have achieved while keeping the great
majority of our products manufactured in the
United States. Today, not only do we make over 75
percent of our products in America, but we also
strive to create the most innovative and highest
quality, body safe products on the market.”
For Chad, as the pleasure product industry
continues to make waves and progress in
mainstream, Doc Johnson can easily to continue to
be an innovator and major player in the game.
“Society is becoming more and more open-
minded and liberal when it comes to sexual health
and wellness. I imagine that sex toys will become
increasingly accessible to the mainstream, as far
as social norms go. Packaging and design will
also move towards the mainstream, with industry
growth facilitating greater diversity and room to
target more specialized demographics,” he told
AVN. “Though the pleasure products industry
has grown and evolved, originality and innovation
have always been at the core of Doc Johnson’s
business model—and that’s where we will
continue to focus our energy in the future.
“We’ve produced some of the most
groundbreaking products on the market since
our early beginnings (our Original Pocket Rocket
and iVibe Rabbit vibrators have both become
household names), and we continue to raise the
bar with developments like 2015’s TruSkyn, a pure
health grade silicone that emulates the feel of
real skin,” Chad continued. “Going forward, the
public can expect more of what they love about
Doc Johnson—exciting upcoming collections, new
partnerships with top stars, and original creative
marketing campaigns—as well as an overall
betterment of our processes in all facets.”
Erica noted Doc Johnson—which has long been known in
mainstream—will continue that relationship with fans and customers,
utilizing every avenue available.
“There have been huge developments in both technology and societal
perspectives since the 1970s. Not only are there more material options
than ever, there have also been far-reaching changes in marketing and
design preferences, as well as attitudes towards sex and sexuality,” she
said. “One of our roles in the marketing department is to determine what
drives our consumers, and how to make Doc Johnson’s products more
accessible to the public. In recent years, we have increased our focus
on outreach and branding. The marketing team spends a considerable
amount of time interacting directly with customers through channels
like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Another top priority for
us has been nurturing and strengthening relationships with journalists,
bloggers, and other major influencers in both B2B and B2C sectors.
We’ve secured high-level mainstream media placement on a number of
top-tier platforms in 2016, and that will be a continuing theme for Doc
Johnson going forward.”
For more information, visit DocJohnson.com.