This Valentine’s day’s unlikely coupling…and we’re not so sure it works.
Back in 2015 I wrote a blog praising Oppo, the “healthy” ice cream company replacing cream and sugar with milk and stevia, for shaking up the category and proving that dairy had a place to play in the health revolution. Since then Oppo have rebranded, and launched cheesecakes, positioning themselves around the idea of “Good Temptation”…so far so good.
…until now. Arguably Oppo’s latest partnership and launch shows the risks of when marketers get caught up in their own ideas and forget to sense-check them with the common man. Meet the Oppo “Spooning Kit” a tie up with Ann Summers, perfectly timed for Valentine’s day, so you can pay £45 to enjoy the pleasure of their Moregasm vibrator, followed by an entire tub of ice cream and a single cheesecake all from a golden spoon…
Really? Oh and actually you’ll need to pop out to Sainsbury’s in between because obviously they can’t actually post you the ice cream, so make sure you leave time in this sexy night-in to redeem your voucher.
I get it. I see the link, good temptation, guilty pleasures etc. etc. But sometimes just because you can see it, doesn’t mean it works! It calls to mind the 50 Shades of Surf fiasco, with limited edition “flirty” laundry capsules complete with handcuffs on the pack. Oppo is “a little bit naughty” like scanning your apples through as carrots on the self check-out, or running through a field of wheat, it’s not nipple-tassles and crotchless underwear naughty. And whilst you can almost see the link for Oppo, the merit for Ann Summers is even harder to spot…
Maybe it’s one of those occasions where the buzz (sorry) is worth it. Or maybe it’s just plain weird. Call me old fashioned, but I’ll be giving the spooning a miss this Valentine’s day.