UK’s Idavøll Viking-Themed Supplement Seeks To Conquer Men’s Sexual Wellness Category
Executive Summary
UK start-up Idavøll has created a “sexual performance” supplement containing a mixture of botanicals, minerals and amino acids designed to contribute towards optimal stamina, blood flow, testosterone levels and mental performance. Speaking exclusively to HBW Insight, the firm's CEO Dan Barron reveals plans to take the Viking themed brand to Europe, China and the US.
“Be a legend” is the tagline for a new line of men’s sexual wellness products marketed under the brand name Idavøll.
Beginning with a “sexual performance” supplement containing a mixture of botanicals, minerals and amino acids designed to contribute towards optimal stamina, blood flow, testosterone levels and mental performance, Idavøll’s branding features a phallic symbol and points to Viking mythology.
“Ancient Norse texts describe Idavøll as the mythical plain of the Æsir and played an important role in the rise and re-birth of the Norse Gods,” the company explains in its trade materials.
“At Idavøll, we imagine what shrubs and herbs could have thrived in those mythical lands that gave rise to tales of strength, endurance and survival.”
Creative Marketing
Speaking exclusively to HBW Insight, Idavøll CEO Dan Barron said that Norse mythology gave the company a way to market the product on a tight budget by “attaching to an existing culture that had something in common with what we wanted to say.”
When coming up with the brand, Barron and colleagues sat down and figuratively “went around the world” until they settled on Scandanavia and Norse mythology, he reminisced.
“In the books, Idavøll is where the gods would go to recuperate in between battles,” Barron said. “We thought, ‘this is perfect backstory’ – they're looking at shrubs and minerals, they're forging weapons and you know, with a stretch of the imagination, they're getting busy with the goddesses.”
The next thing was to create a visual brand that highlighted the product’s sexual wellness benefits without contravening marketing rules preventing supplements pointing to a direct health benefit.
Cheeky But Compliant
Barron said he knew he wanted the packaging to be blue and to emphasize the “V,” but when the agency suggested they could create a phallic symbol out of the “LL” by adding a Viking helmet, he knew he had a striking brand image.
However, while the branding is cheeky, Barron is keen to stress that the product itself is fully compliant with the relevant regulations with regards to the claims for its herbal ingredients.
There is no intention to suggest a mechanism of action, as there is for a medicinal ingredient like sildenafil, for example, he noted.
“This is just good nutrition that hits some of the points that can make you a better lover,” Barron insisted.
“As long as you're not toxic to start with, and your body is in relatively good shape,” Barron said the Siberian ginseng, zinc and maca in Idavøll’s first supplement should give men a “bit more energy and vitality.”
Expansion Plans
Barron is now looking to expand the brand with new products and also take Idavøll to other markets around the world.
Extensions in the pipeline include a “Prostata” botanical and mineral blend designed to maintain prostate health and benefit men’s health in general, as well as a sensual massage oil and lubricant gel, all under the Idavøll trademark.
In terms of international expansion, Idavøll has already launched in Romania, and has an agreement in place for China.
Barron also has his eyes on the US market: “We've got holding company in the US and a contract manufacturer and distributor ready to go once we get sufficient funding.”