Page 24 - AVN Intimate Winter 2016

FEATURE
Playing in Style
Impulse Novelties redecorates its collections
product field, it takes more than a
To stand out in the crowded pleasure
good product. There must also be
good marketing as well. And Impulse
Novelties certainly has both.
Impulse is the name of the parent company,
but it’s the Closet Collection—its stylish line of
toys aimed at women—that is its best-known
brand. And the company’s sales and marketing
team is determined to keep awareness high.
With vibrators named Carrie B. and the
Jimmee Lightning Rod (tributes to Sex and the
City and shoe maven Jimmy Choo), it’s clear that
a passion for fashion drives the collection. The
various vibrators are named after designers—
Christian, Donatella, Stella, Chloe—and this year
the packaging got a makeover.
“We wanted the look to be uniform but
different. It’s so clean and modern and fresh.
And feminine,” account manager Sara Hentcy
explained.
Packaging comes in five patterns: floral, polka
dot, animal print, geometric and lace. These
correspond to five “types”: Bohemian Chic,
Playful Delight, Wild Child, Sex-ucated Lady
and Elegant Romantic. Consumers can take a
“personality test” to see what type most suits
them.
“The floral pattern is the Bohemian Chic, and
that’s the Bendables, the Carrie B. … the Chloe
and the Christian. And then the Playful Delight—
that’s the polka dots—are basically bunnies and
butterflies. The Wild Child are the craziest of
our toys: the Carrie B. Twist, the Victoria …” She
pauses. “It’s the Swiss army knife of sex toys,”
she said about the vibrator named after Victoria
Beckham.
What’s inside the boxes has changed also.
Most vibrators now come in hot pink and vibrant
purple—which the team calls “Barney purple.”
Some items are offered in turquoise: “Some toys
just do better in the blue.”
Impulse Novelties will be showing off the
revamped Closet Collection at the AVN Novelty
Expo, which takes place January 20-22 at the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. While
there, attendees can get a look at the newest
additions to the collection: the Vera and the
Carolina. The Vera is a petite rechargeable rabbit,
and the Carolina is battery-operated. Impulse
Novelties offers both types to provide consumers
24 | INTIMATE | WINTER 2016
with varied price points. Some of the
models are made of ABS plastic for the
same reason.
Also under the Impulse Novelties
umbrella is the Black Door brand, a
more androgynous line. “We wanted
to make sure we had toys that catered
to a gay market, like the dual plugs,”
Hentcy said. But also, she added,
“Sometimes women want a black toy,
or guys are buying a toy for their wife
or girlfriend and don’t want to grab a
pink toy.”
The Black Door items also are
being spruced up. “We’re going to be
changing the packaging to a metallic
silver so that the toy just pops more out
of the box.” The clear windows will be
less glossy, so that what’s inside can be
seen more clearly. “And there’s also some fun
stuff coming out for Black Door that hopefully
we’ll have by January,” she said.
In addition to packaging changes, Impulse
also came out with its Bendables line. “We did
a lot of research,” Hentcy said. “The biggest
thing with other bendables is that they would
never stay bent. We wanted something that
was sturdy but easy to bend, and it stayed bent
so you never had to worry about it changing
motion in mid-action—that’s the worst.”
Bendables are included in both the Closet
and Black Door collections. And debuting at
the show is the Manola, a rabbit-shaped vibe
named for, of course, Manolo Blahnik.
“It is a cute toy. It’s pink and purple,”
Hentcy said. She’s looking forward to
revealing the Manola to ANE attendees.
“Our Bendable Hentcy will be very
exciting. Our bunny shapes tend to do
really well.”
But the biggest news at Impulse is the
addition of a collection of fun, low-cost
toys.
“We’re also working on another line,
a beginner line. It’s called the Glow
Party and it’s going to be very simple
jellies. We’ll have dongs, and more
basics. We’ll have masturbators. We’re
going to have some basic vibrators that
will have a light-up effect.”
She pulls a cock ring made of TPE
out of a small black box and turns it on
to demonstrate the multicolored lights. “It has
three settings. It comes in purple and clear.”
As the lights flash festively, she added, “It’s
great for millenials. They’ll love it.”
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