Lola and Lena Dunham host candid conversations about sex with public hotline campaign

By Kyle O'Brien, Creative Works Editor

July 17, 2018 | 4 min read

Organic feminine products company Lola has expanded its offerings to include sexual health and it’s recruited Lena Dunham and other celebrities to talk about sex on a new phone line dedicated to candid conversations on the subject.

Let's Talk About It mural in Brooklyn

Lola launched Sex by Lola recently, and to help get the word out about its products, which include condoms, lubricants and wipes, it created a hotline, dubbed, ‘Let’s Talk About It,’ accompanied by a phone booth and mural in Brooklyn.

The national hotline shares candid, honest conversations about sex from celebrities and influencers, helping drive a conversation around a topic that can be a bit touchy. With ‘Let’s Talk About It,’ the brand hopes to further this mission by encouraging honest conversations about sex.

‘Let’s Talk About It’ features exclusive audio content around sex topics that real women want to talk about. By dialing the hotline number (1-622-HEY-LOLA) callers can listen to honest thoughts on sex and reproductive health from the likes of Lola investor Lena Dunham, sexoligist Shan Boodram, naturopathic doctor Corina Dunlap, fitness instructor Bethany Meyers, and doula to the stars Latham Thomas. Topics covered include right to orgasm, period sex and libido. Listeners are also encouraged to leave a message with their comments and questions about sex, and Lola hotline speakers will return the call later on this summer. The nationwide hotline will run for four weeks.

The campaign was inspired by surveys the brand conducted that showed just how uncomfortable many women still are talking freely about their sex life. The survey revealed that participants often felt judged on the number of partners they'd had, the number of times per week they are or aren’t doing the deed, and the feeling of uncomfortableness and reluctance to open up and voice concerns with partners or trusted friends.

Lola enlisted agency Giant Spoon to handle strategy, campaign development, creative and media buying, helping to create the mural that calls attention to the hotline. The agency is bringing the initiative to life in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a mural installation by illustrator Eugenia Mello and Lola-blue phone booths where people can dial in to the hotline IRL. The booths and mural are located on 10th Street between Berry and Wythe.

"Lola is a brand built on access and transparency. We wanted to highlight those attributes by creating a first-of-its-kind hotline featuring an original audio series about people's personal experiences," said Laura Correnti, partner, Giant Spoon. "Whether from the comfort of your couch or picking up a pay phone in Williamsburg, Lola has opened up the line to normalize and destigmatize conversations about sex."

With the hotline featuring audio content from celebrities, experts, and influencers speaking openly about sexual topics they feel passionately about, as well as an out of home advertising campaign taking over subway cars and buses across New York City, Lola aims to inspire an open dialogue around sex and corresponding topics that are often hushed and stigmatized, to help normalize the conversation and drive change.