JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Apologies for the befuddled nature of the headline above folks, but please understand: it’s not every day that I find myself writing about a company known for its premium personal lubricants expanding the footprint of its brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Yeah, I know – lube isn’t porn and people do have sex in Saudi Arabia, but still, there’s something about reading that the Kingdom opened its luxurious conference room doors to a company that recently marked “Kinktober” with a guide on “How to Clean and Shine Latex” and just weeks before that explained why “Anal Pleasure is for Everyone” that strikes me as remarkable.
The company in question is pjur, the Luxembourg-based personal lubricants brand, which released a statement yesterday explaining that the brand “further strengthened its brand awareness in Saudi Arabia together with its local partner Jamjoom/Vantage MEA by participating in an exclusive Movember Men’s Health Event on November 23.”
“The event was organized by the PR agency Trendy sketch and combined the exclusive environment of the luxury car scene with an important social issue surrounding prostate cancer, early detection and men’s health,” the announcement added. “This sophisticated setting provided the ideal backdrop for effectively presenting a premium brand such as pjur.”
According to the statement, “150 VIP visitors were offered a varied program at a Private VIP Resort.” The program included “caricature drawings, a photo booth, a saxophone artist and a ‘Thor Hammer’ competition.” Those who participated were “able to visit the barber lounge or have a health checkup.” The program was “rounded off by keynotes and panel talks by influencers and experts.”
“Men’s health needs more visibility,” said Alexander Giebel, CEO and founder of pjur. “That’s why it’s important to us to work with our local partner in Saudi Arabia to raise awareness of this issue and send a strong message.”
There’s a lot that needs more visibility in Saudi Arabia, to be frank. The rights of members of country’s minority religions come to mind, for example. But if introducing more of the Kingdom’s men to pjur superhero Energizing Glide can open the door a crack, that’s progress too, I suppose.
