I am not familiar enough with foreign pressure marketing schemes to know whether other countries also have the infamous “casserole trips” that plagued Italian retirees’ mailboxes until recent times. They were dirt-cheap bus trips to pointless locations (sanctuaries, usually) and towns during which the partecipants were subjected to high-pressure sale techniques to get them to buy ugly stuff at overinflated prices – casseroles and pots, mostly, hence the nickname. It is a few years now that I’m not hearing about them anymore, probably because their organizers have evolved to spamming fake Viagra online, or something like that.

In any case the idea wasn’t that bad from a marketing standpoint. So much that someone recently thought to recycle it with a few adjustments… of the erotic kind. We’re talking about the Spanish division of Durex, launching the Love Boat initiative with a three-day cruise from Barcelona to Roma, departing on September 22th.
Excepting unexpected Italian-style navigation accidents, the program includes aphrodisiac cooking, speed dating sessions and group games designed to break the ice, like a giant Twister contest and the “search for the G-spot” (a treasure hunt). And, above all, demonstrations. From the more serious ones held by a sexologist to more saucy ones, ending with a full onboard shop dedicated to the – excellent, truth to be told – products of the famous condoms and sex toys brand.
Will this be a suckers trap, or a wonderfully smart initiative? Finding the answer won’t be difficult, as the whole experience will be streamed on Facebook, where a hundred cruise tickets are up on a raffle right now.