As many as 60% of the respondents of an online sex survey have had multiple sex partners. Maybe, the times are changing

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You don't need to smuggle in that dog eared, muchthumbed soft -porn magazine any more. If you want some good ol' titillation, there are a myriad other avenues to choose from. But move over second-hand fun. Now you can get the real-life experience with just about no fuss... Ask for sex. Or about it. That's what The Sunday Indian Online did: Quiz people about their sex lives. The survey, by www.thesundayindian.com, was simpler, and had less inquisitive questions compared to the one for the main story. The answers were candid too, with the respondents coming from all walks of sex life. There were homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, and a good 26 per cent who were 'undecided about their orientation'. There were only a handful of female respondents. But the few of them who did field questions, went for it full throttle.

So let's start with tracking how the mind is wired when the body is at play. It might be unfair to judge the loyalty quotient of the respondents from the survey, but evidently more than 61 per cent of them fantasise about actors, friends, colleagues and porn stars when they are in bed with a partner. The gender break up on this is intriguing too. None of the females (in the survey) fancy their husbands/boyfriends when they have sex. So who is the hero of their prurient dramain- the-head? Predictably, for a majority of them, it is a movie star. Then there is another lot of women who imagine they are making out with their probably-more-attainable colleagues while in bed with their husband/boyfriend. Men too take off on flights of fancy. More than actresses and colleagues, when it comes to intimate communion, porn stars rule the imagination of 20 per cent of the males surveyed. A minuscule percentage have lascivious thoughts about their house maids too. But it's refreshing to note that a majority of them would rather stick to fantasising about their wife/girlfriend, when it comes to matters concerning the birds and the bees. Variety rules, though. Settling for the usual doesn't seem to be the norm, as more than 60 per cent of the respondents have had multiple sex partners. Of them, there are 20 per cent who claim to have had more than five partners, and 41 per cent who could count it on their fingers. But, like most things in life, quantity and quality oft en don't go hand in hand. So, though 60 per cent of them claim to be completely satisfied with their partners, 53 per cent of the very same respondents contradicted themselves when they admitted that action between the sheets could be better still.

Of course, everyone enjoys a good time. While in the throes of passion, most of these respondents say they like it sensuous and romantic. At times, wild and adventurous. Normal? No thanks. These amorous encounters take place every single day of the week for a good 21 per cent. For 50 per cent, it is up to four times a week. Another 15 per cent find occasion for it five times a week. And then, eight per cent say they don't manage it even once a week. We wouldn't venture to tell this eight per cent that they tried and failed....perhaps they prefer being celibate, for a while. Reasons for why sex does not happen vary. It could be exhaustion aft er a hard day's work (36 per cent), joint family compulsions (11.4 per cent), or just plain lack of time. Nevertheless, more than a quarter of those surveyed get what they really need, against all odds. There are diff erent avenues for “getting it” too. Sex has grown far more symbolic and vicarious in the last decade. Our survey says 14 per cent of the respondents enjoy sex on the web/phone. We guess hormones can now read digital codes. A whole new chemistry is brewing.

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An advertising blitzkrieg has turned the market for sexual performance-enhancing drugs and contraceptives red hot in India

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Getting high on love-making drugs

An advertising blitzkrieg has turned the market for sexual performance-enhancing drugs and contraceptives red hot in India

Looking at advertisement trends, it appears as if every other commercial on television or in print is for either a drug promising men improved bedroom performance or a pill that lets women get rid of unwanted pregnancies.

Well, if you find these already embarrassing, particularly when your children ask, "What's this medicine for," brace for a much bigger ad blitzkrieg. The market for pharmaceutically stimulated sex is booming. Be it Dabur Pharma, Mankind Pharma, Cipla, Ranbaxy or Piramal Healthcare, everyone seems to be betting big on performance enhancing drugs and emergency contraceptives.

Even the chemists, who, till the other day, shied away from displaying these products prominently, have now started flaunting them. "There is a good demand for these products. Since one gets to see them more often in TV and in newspapers, people are slowly becoming aware of these products. In fact, over 30 per cent of my annual profit now comes from the sale of these products," says Manoj Sharma, a chemist in the Daryaganj area of the national capital.

So, what's the reason behind this sudden rise in demand of these products? Experts point out that even though these products have been in the market for the last couple of decades, the awareness level was low. "In India, anything related to sex was considered a taboo not too long back. However, with rising education level, one can see a drastic change among the people. And riding this growing awareness, pharma companies in India are now focussing more on contraceptives and performance enhancing drugs. Pharma companies are now investing a huge portion of their advertising budget in promoting these drugs which form a major chunk of the overall OTC (over-the-counter) drugs segment in India," says Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice-president, research, Angel Broking. And why not, when the Indian OTC market, which is estimated to be worth $1.7 billion as of now, is all set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13-14 per cent for the next five years.

Further, it is not the only the pre-sex drug for men that is hot. The after-sex drug for females is flying off the shelves too. The contraceptive from Cipla, i-Pill, used to prevent unplanned pregnancy, recorded huge growth and was the second-largest selling drug in India in 2009. In fact, as per ORG IMS, i-Pill features in the list of top 300 pharma products with annual expected sales of around Rs 800 - 900 million. Thanks to a sustained advertisement salvo, i-Pill, despite being expensive (It costs Rs 75 a tablet), is selling like hot cakes. If industry sources are to be believed, Cipla has spent over Rs 200 million on advertisements for this drug alone.

In fact, this is the reason why Piramal Healthcare recently acquired this oral contraceptive brand from Cipla for a whopping Rs 950 million. 'In 2007, we created 'i-pill' which is currently India's leading OTC emergency contraceptive brand. We are pleased that Piramal Healthcare, which too has a strong OTC portfolio, has bought the brand and are confident that they will successfully accelerate the future growth of this brand,' says Amar Lulla, joint managing director, Cipla Ltd.

Even the OTC division of Delhi-based Mankind Pharma, one of India's fastest growing pharma firms, has witnessed rapid growth over the last couple of years. And the credit goes to its condoms, sold under the brand name 'Manforce', and an emergency contraceptive pill called 'Unwanted 72.' They annually contribute over Rs 250 million and Rs 200 million respectively to the company coffers. "During our initial 13 years, we concentrated on market penetration. Our 6,000 medical representatives went to doctors all over the country and we were completely selling products based on doctors' prescriptions. That still remains our core strength. However, we analysed the market and found out that there was a huge demand for pre-sex drugs and contraceptives in India. It is then that we came up with Manforce Condoms which became a runaway hit. This encouraged us to go for more promotions. But we believe in advertising only those products which we think need to be advertised like Unwanted-72 and Manforce Condoms," R. C. Juneja, founder and managing director of Mankind Pharma tells TSI. In fact, one can gauge the potential of these products from the fact that the company has kept aside a whopping Rs 500 million for the promotion of these products alone this year. And why not? While Mankind is looking at a growth of 30-35 per cent in its overall turnover, for OTC products, its target is 100 per cent growth.

Even regional players are raking in big bucks by focussing on performance enhancing drugs. For instance, the Kochi-based Kunnath Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of a herbal aphrodisiac called Muslipower X-tra (an ayurvedic performance enhancing drug), expects a ten-fold jump in its turnover from Rs 400-500 million to Rs 4-5 billion in the next couple of years. And that's the reason it's leaving no stones unturned to make the brand visible not only in India but also beyond the borders. To this end, the company has even taken up a mega sports promotion initiative at an investment of Rs 1 billion. The company not only plans to promote soccer in India but is also sponsoring Sri Lanka's Wayamba Elevens for the Champions League T20 Tournament in South Africa. What's more? Musli Power X-Tra is also a sponsor of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. K. C. Abraham, owner of Kunnath Pharmaceuticals, says, 'Musli Power X-Tra is a performance enhancing drug. We started off with smaller sports sponsorships and endorsements. But we are now entering the big league.'

Certainly it's the advertising that has done the trick for these companies. There is no other reason why Indian equivalents of Viagra like Kamagra from Ajanta Pharma, Caverta from Ranbaxy, Penegra from Zydus Cadilla and Suhagra from Cipla are all selling like hot cakes. "An OTC brand can become successful in pharma sector if it's linked to a desired emotion and that's exactly what these players are doing. But, it is vital that the product is effective and is able to deliver the promise because no amount of marketing can yield profits for a failed product,' a brand analyst tells TSI.

If the current trends continues, one can surely expect a strong demand for more pre and post sex drugs that make it to market. Although the winners aren't yet clear, Indian men and women now have a product pool to choose from, a pool that was kept away from the consumer's eyes even two decades back.
The article is sourced from The Sunday Indian.

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