Lovehoney Airing First Sex Toy Retailer Ad on TV in UK

LONDON—Lovehoney will become the first sex-toy retailer to advertise on TV in the UK on Oct. 3, when a 30-second spot will debut an episode of the U.S. reality show The Real Housewives of New York City. According to Advertising Age magazine, the spot shows a fully clothed couple smooching to a punky guitar soundtrack. As they pull away from each other, the woman says, "Have a good day at work," and the man says, "Yeah, you too." He then picks up his briefcase and walks out the door. It finishes with a voiceover saying, "Lovehoney.co.uk. The sexual happiness people." The ad can be seen on YouTube.com. Clearcast, which vets all TV ads before broadcast in theUK, has cleared the ad for viewing at any time except during children's programming. In addition to the TV spot, two billboard ads show a couple kissing, one in a train and one in a supermarket. Lovehoney is theU.K.'s biggest sex-toy retailer; two of every three sex toys sold in theU.K.are from the company. The business was started eight years ago by Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford, two former Future Publishing employees whose ambition was to be the Amazon of sex toys, creating a site where their girlfriends would be happy to shop. Lovehoney recently created a wholesale division after joining forces with Sliquid’s Dean Elliott  to sell their products through stores inAmerica, and global sales now top $30 million. AU.S.site is being planned for next year. For more information, visit Lovehoney.co.uk or Lovehoney.com.