In an unremarkable office, little more than a hefty free kick from Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, the marketing supremo of a substantial quoted company sets up a viewing of her latest advertising idea. Projected on to the screen, one after the other, are the faces of about 30 women - all at the precise moment of orgasm.
The soundtrack is pure Meg Ryan, faking it in When Harry Met Sally, although these women are slightly less loud and have a light operatic accompaniment. The marketing chief is as satisfied with her new ad as its stars appear to be.
This is SSL International, owner of the Durex condom brand – a business that is "into the act of sex", explains Anna Valle, the marketing chief. She has a "roadmap to expand across the whole sex landscape" and she intends to use it. Her mission is to transform Durex from a straightforward form of contraception and protection into a brand that promises better sex.
To that end, SSL is now selling Durex Play, a label used on vibrators, penis rings, oils and lubricants which, in two years, has gone from a twinkle in chief executive Garry Watts' eye to a £40m brand. "Foreplay," declares Valle, "is a key occasion."
The latest Play offering is Play O - a warming gloop which promises more and better orgasms - which went on sale last year and has evidently been flying off the shelves.
"Our research shows that 40% of women are not satisfied with their orgasms", says Valle. "That is a missed opportunity. And 67% do not orgasm on a regular basis. That is a big need".
In the large open plan office outside the screening room, there is a display of ideas for new products. There is a bright pink pyramid, with a base about 20cm square. Asking what it is, or where one might put it, seems too naive. Alongside there is a contraption which plugs into an iPod, presumably for busy women on the move, who are determined not to miss any opportunity, even if it is on the Tube or in a queue for a cash machine.
In these recession-battered times, sex is not a bad business to be in. "We are very careful not to say 'recession-proof'," says Watts, "but people are not going to stop having sex. There is an element of resilience."
The same is true with footcare, he adds - not that the SSL boss has any sort of foot fetish (to my knowledge) but because, alongside the vibes and lubes, the company sells bunion pads and toenail fungus treatments, because it owns the Dr Scholl's brand outside the US.
The link between condoms and cracked heel ointment, he explains, is not a desire to cover the market from nightclub to nursing home, but because the products share the same distribution channels.
But whether it is footcare or fruit-flavoured condoms, business is booming. SSL unveils its annual profits tomorrow and is expected to turn in profits up 30% at £76m from sales up 20% at about £640m. The company is making big gains from overseas sales as a result of the weak pound but, excluding the impact of currency gains, underlying sales were still up 6%.
In fact, SSL is so confident it is likely to push through a hefty increase in its dividend to shareholders at a time when other companies are paring back their payouts or axing them altogether.
The SSL brands are available in 130 countries, but 75% of sales come from Europe and the board is eyeing expansion opportunities.
Last month, the group exercised an option to take its holding in Russian condom company BLBV to just over 50%. Other deals gave it full ownership of a Ukraine condom business and the Crest brand in Switzerland.
"The obvious hole now is Korea," said Watts, "and we don't have much condom business in Japan or in Latin America. They are top of the list." Prices of possible bolt-on acquisitions, he said, have come down "because there is no private equity competition out there any more".
China is a mega-market. "We started there a couple of years ago," says Valle. "Now it is the size of the UK." A new SSL condom factory, adding to its plants in Thailand and India, opens there next month and will be able to turn out 1bn condoms a year at a third of the costs in Europe.
Building loyalty is key to success in selling condoms, because this is not a business where buyers linger very long to admire the packaging, read the instructions or mull the best buy. As analysts at Deutsche Bank, who rate SSL shares a buy, put it in a recent note: "The average consumer takes just seven seconds to make their condom product selection and many consumers are concerned about the quality of the product, due to the potential severity of the consequences of failure." In other words, a well-known brand that fits but doesn't split is essential to success.
The SSL finance director, Mark Moran, said: "The trick is ensuring consistency. We don't want cheap knock-offs that don't do the job properly."
Watts is also waiting to see if the Dr Scholl brand in the US, part of the vast Schering group, becomes available in the wake of Schering's takeover by Merck. "If it does come free, we will have a good look. But it will depend on the price. With a turnover of £200m, it would not be transformational, but it would give us two global brands, instead of one and a half."
Deutsche Bank reckons there are risks - such as a stronger pound, condom safety, new launches and the horrors that can accompany acquisitions. But, it says: "If anything, the problem SSL faces is that of having too many opportunities".
Scholl and Durex, they say, could move into more pharmaceutical and lifestyle products - from orthopaedics and foot fashion to testing for sexually transmitted diseases, erotic underwear and producing a wider range of "devices".
New products are already being lined up, from aids to "libido, stimulation and mood enhancement" - including an erection-enhancing condom for those with endurance issues - to a clothing range. "You can get people to wear a T-shirt with Durex on it," said Valle. "It's that good a brand".
