Who: JAMP Pharma (Zestra), Havas Montreal, les enfants (production), ChopChop (colour correction), Réservoir Audio (sound), Havas Media.

What: “Reclaim your sexual power,” a new campaign for the female sexual enhancement product. This is the first full integrated campaign for the brand, which received a radio and online push when it first debuted.

When & Where: The campaign debuted on Feb. 11 and includes a 30-second video, complemented by online banners and display ads, as well as out-of-home ads in beauty salons, gyms and bars/restaurants.

Why: Zestra is intended to address what is described as “the pleasure gap” between men and women. According to research from Kinsey Institute, 85% of men reported that their partner had an orgasm at their most recent sexual event, while only 64% of women said the same thing. The research also indicated that women are “much more likely” to be nearly always or always orgasmic when alone than with a partner.

Zestra is described as a potential revolution in women’s sexual health, but JAMP’s challenge to Havas was creating a positive message of female empowerment while avoiding male bashing.

How: Zestra is a topical that describes itself as the the “1st patented solution for female sexual desire and arousal.” The brand has trademarked the phrase the “Zestra Rush” to describe the intense sexual pleasure it produces.

As with all pharmaceutical advertising in Canada, JAMP Pharma is restricted from directly linking the Zestra brand to its stated use, a law that leads to commercials like this and this. In this case, the creative vehicle for demonstrating Zestra’s use is food, which can produce similarly orgasmic reactions.

The 45-second spot, “Time to close the pleasure gap,” shows a middle-aged man and woman ordering dessert in a restaurant. The man takes a bite and immediately experiences an intense but short-lived orgasmic reaction. When the woman tries the dessert, it produces a deep, slow-building feeling of pleasure that stretches out, before the super “Time to close the pleasure gap” appears, followed by the Zestra logo. The idea here is that many women will probably want to have what’s she’s having.

And we quote: “This first spot addresses sexual equality, not only in the bedroom, but between men and women in general. The new tagline encourages us all to reclaim the power each woman has inside of her.” —Marie-Charlotte Richert, product manager, JAMP Pharma.