BATH, England — Lovehoney says it experienced spikes in sales thanks to the popularity of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on social media.
Citing research from digital advertising firm Pixability, Lovehoney says that “Fifty Shades of Grey” material garnered more than 329 million views on social media leading up to Valentine’s Day.
The official “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie trailers and advertisements garnered more than 113 million views on YouTube. In an interview with Variety Magazine, Pixability’s Chief Technology Officer Andrea Goeldi said, “It’s the most successful launch from a trailer-view perspective in some time.”
“Fifty Shades of Grey” also received 3 million Facebook likes, and 2.1 million Facebook shares. as a credible brand, instantly recognisable to people all around the world.
"The massive social media reach for Fifty Shades of Grey demonstrates that the brand is the perfect and easy way to instantly engage with consumers in store and online," said Lovehoney co-founder Richard Longhurst. "Fifty Shades of Grey is simply in a different league when it comes to consumer brand recognition."
Lovehoney, the U.K.’s biggest online sex toy retailer, which owns the exclusive global rights to manufacture all Official Fifty Shades of Grey pleasure products, said it saw an increase in sales after each trailer was released.
“We sold over a million Fifty Shades of Grey items in 2014 and we can already see that 2015 will be even bigger — sales in advance of the movie release and in the days that followed have surpassed all expectations,” said Longhurst.
Lovehoney has three Official Fifty Shades of Grey ranges: The Pleasure Collection, The Sensual Collection and the recently launched Red Room Collection, which consists of 10 leather bondage items inspired by scenes from the film.
The company worked closely with “Fifty Shades” author E L James to create all three lines and Lovehoney is credited in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie as official supplier of products seen in the Red Room.