Diesel’s Hard Choice: Betting on Porn to Beat Stiff Competition.
Beta or VHS? Blu Ray or HD-DVD? Both crossroads in the entertainment world ultimately decided by the porn industry. Now, as advertisers struggle to gain attention in the ever-more-fractured media world, porn offers another potential beacon, and Diesel Jeans has seen the light.
In January, Diesel launched an advertising campaign on Pornhub.com. The site boasts 60 million visitors per day, 1.1 Billion page views per month and best of all for Diesel, no other fashion company competition.
Alban Adam, Diesel’s PR manager, told AdWeek Magazine “We need to be there because that’s where the traffic is and let’s not pretend that nobody goes there.” Specifically, Diesel is just showcasing mens underwear with its current campaign. However, the company is open and willing to expand the scope of the message if this first foray proves effective.
But what about the stigma of associating your brand with adult content? Corey Price, VP at Pornhub points out millennials grew up with easy access to online porn and don’t share their parents’ hangups, but he thinks Diesel is a leader, “Truth is, we have a tremendously devoted and engaging user base, which is ideal for advertising brands. However, brands don’t know this—or they think it’s too risky to partner with an online adult entertainment company. Marketing moves like this really put brands like Diesel ahead of the game.”
Mainstream movie distributors and home food delivery services also advertise on Pornhub. EAT24 was the first non-adult advertiser on Pornhub. According the Entrepreneur Magazine, the marketing world held its breath as EAT24 embraced its new advertising avenue. The company raved about the results: triple the web impressions at one-tenth the cost. Diesel isn’t discussing its rate, but it expects similar results while only paying a fraction of the price to to reach a similar audience to CNN.Com.
So, what’s the downside? There are always concerns that third-party content on Pornhub could violate the law, victimize a vulnerable individual or draw negative attention to the advertiser. But, in this hyper-aggressive social media environment, almost any online content provider runs the same risk. CNN is regularly criticized for exploiting or victimizing some subjects featured in their stories. Anything that generates hundreds of millions of views will inevitably generate critics along with massive marketing opportunities. But, as Diesel has shown, it does take a stiff will and an adventurous spirit.
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