What can brands learn from Pornhub?

Real, authentic, inclusive content with diversity and power thrown in…

This is probs not what you expecting to see on our blog… but here we are!

Why are we talking about Pornhub?

Well, every year Pornhub release ‘The Year in Review’, which is their findings, data and insight on users and the content they consume.

Which let’s be honest (you might not want to release your data), but you should be looking at it as a brand, to help serve your customers and potential customers better.

📸 Go4It

Quick side note: With the rise of OnlyFans, not to mention the content creators using that app, many of them use platforms like TikTok to share their day as an OF creator, create videos like GRWM (get ready with me), talk about their career moves or choices, the money they’re making etc… the adult industry is shaping many young peoples views of life, work, brands and so much more - but that’s a blog for another day.

🐘 Is this an elephant in the room… not for us

Now, we do appreciate that some of you reading this, will feel uncomfortable with the fact that we’re talking about Porn, let alone Pornhub. We aren’t uncomfortable about it, and neither should you be.

Because to be honest, it has and is having a bigger impact on consumers and the younger generation more than you think.

If you’re a reader of our blog and follow us on Insta, you know that we’ve been talking a lot about how marketing and content has shifted and that consumers are looking for more real, authentic storytelling within content.

Pornhubs findings from their review in 2022, is actually backing up what we’ve been discovering in regards to what consumers are looking for when it comes to marketing content.

According to Pornhub’s ‘The 2022 Year in review’ report, the hottest trends and search terms that audiences were looking for were as follows;

🌽 Reality

🌽 Gender

🌽 Group

🌽 Outdoors

🌽 Positions

🌽 Feet

🌽 Femdom

Now, for the purpose of this blog, were going to talk about reality, gender and fendom.

Let’s talk reality…

If you’re a watcher of Porn or have been, back in the day highly, polished, professional videos was what viewers started to want. They wanted less dance and trance music in the background and more higher-end, high quality videos. Which between the years of 2012 to around 2018 was being produced. Which ties in with the rise of Influencers and their perfectly curated Instagram feeds and blogs.

However, since then there’s been shift in the type of content that consumers want to see and what they relate too. Being professional and polished all the time is not really the main thing or driver anymore. Yes, it has its role, place and time but consumers like it a bit more raw and real.

Thanks to platforms like TikTok and Insta Reels, this has only grown. Consumers want real, unedited, authentic content that resinates with them.

As a brand you need to be working with your customers and content creators to build your brands reach, tell the brands story and keep it relatable.

“…The past year, searches with “real” grew by +42%, And this interest is driven more by women, +37% more than men.”

Matt Klein, Reddit

Although the above stats are based on Pornhubs findings, we’ve been carrying out our own market research and finding similar results.

Let’s talk gender…

No matter how you look at it, across whole there is a lack of diversity and inclusion of mixed genders and races in marketing and content creation/creators used by brands.

Yes, it’s changing within certain industries like fashion, make-up, beauty/skincare and even fitness but there is still a real lack of representation.

Some brands have;

🙌🏽 got it, understood it and ran with it

others have;

🫳🏽 dipped their toe in a little bit

and other’s have

😬 done nothing.

Now, whether you want to address it or not, consumers want to see themselves (or people like them) within a brands content and marketing, yep it just got personal.

Now, you could be reading this thinking,

‘Our brand doesn’t appeal to everyone or those cultures and/or sub-cultures…’.

Now, that could be true, but have you reviewed your data and insights in depth to know that as a fact? or have you taken the time to actually research and speak to your customers?

We review brands data and comms when we work with them and it is really insightful what the data actually shows to what we’re usually being told. There is sometimes a real mismatch with the current marketing their doing to the audience they’re either trying to reach and engage with and who their true audiences actually are.

Gen Z consumers are one of the most powerful consumers at the moment

(here comes the generic eye roll from the older generations) but this is fact.

They have the spending power, which is only increasing as they age up and they can turn things into a trends, hot topics, a buzz and create search demand for a product or service.

If you’re on TikTok you would of seen the rise of the 2000 nostalgic trends and throwbacks (still going strong at the moment as of writing this).

That’s why one of the most iconic phones the Motorola Razr (the original one) started to have a mini comeback and pop up appearances in users content…

As a brand you need to be aware of the changes in consumer behaviour towards viewing, relating, engaging and buying from you.

But, most importantly who and what they’re influenced by.

You need to be aware of how important it is to build in diversity and inclusion to reach wider audiences, but to also be relevant and help future proof your brands longevity.

“On gender... The category grew by +75% to become the 7th most popular category worldwide.

Matt Klein, Reddit

Another point from the Pornhub review. If their searches are showing that ‘gender’ categories are increasing, it’s important to think about the wider audiences, cultures and sub cultures as there is clearly a demand from consumers.

Let’s talk Femdom…

Gender role play is also clear. “Femdom” and “female domination” grew +28% over the last year, along with the term "amazon position." As for control, meanwhile "bondage" as a category also increased.

Matt Klein, Reddit

Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock there is a shift in female empowerment across the workplace and in life. This is clearly being reflected in Porn viewing as well.

We’re proud to be a female-led business. We’re also lucky enough to know many other female-led businesses and owners who are killing it in male dominated industries and sectors. They’re switching it up and throwing the rulebook out the window.

For some brands (that it’s suitable for) this should be promoted and celebrated across all marketing and content.

We work and support many young people (mostly Gen Z) and we’ve noticed that there is a real lack of inspirational leaders that they can identify with, who aren’t a celebrity like The Kardashians, Beyonce, Rihanna and Molly Mae to name a few.

If you’re reading this as a female-led business, you have a story to tell…

Embrace it and tell it through your marketing and content…

Now, we don’t like terms like ‘Boss Bitch’, ‘Boss Babes’, ‘Boss Lady’… gives us the ick. But, own what you do and tell it your way (even if that is your way… do you boo).

Some of the most powerful brands in this world are owned and run women. We wont name brands… you know, just in case, they might not want to be linked to a blog with Porn in it.

Take aways from this…

2023 is the year you should be doing inclusive media planning.

Taking Pornhub out of the conversation and looking at the data and trends, it’s clear that you need to be doing more as business with your marketing and content for a bigger slice of the consumer pie.

Not only understanding your brands vision for the future, but creating a marketing plan that is working towards that. You don’t have to change everything straight away, but you need to understand where you’re going and/or want you want your brand to be.

There has been shift with consumer shopping behaviour and how and where they consume content. Having a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing often limits a brands performance and prevents appealing to wider audiences, cultures and sub-cultures. If you exclude and don’t think about multicultural people and LGBTQIA+ communities, it can inadvertently rule out audiences who (could) engage, shop and share your content.

If as a brand you're not proactively choosing to appear or work with a wider range of creators and communities, it can impact their support of diverse voices and how inclusive your brand is.

So, when it comes to your marketing/media planning, you should think more like the (Pornhub audiences 😂). Kidding!

But, on a serious note you should really take the time to look at and understand your data and insights, which will build a picture of your audience(s). Take the time to pay attention to the world around you, your consumers (current and future), consumer buying behaviour and influences. It’s all about embracing inclusivity and diversity into everything you do.

If you have no idea what that looks like or how you can build that into your marketing strategy, this is where we come in.

We can help you understand your data to create a marketing plan that covers inclusivity, diversity and build longevity for your brand.

Holla the team at: emailinfo@rochellewhiteagency.com