Nation's Nudists Court Corporate Sponsorship

With “naked” being used more and more frequently as a marketing buzz word for natural products, nudists are wanting a piece of the all American pie: Corporate sponsorship! They want to bare it all and make a buck — and they say they’re an untapped resource for companies looking to advertise things like body wash, sunscreen, and topless pizza.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the American Association for Nude Recreation has sent over 100 letters seeking sponsorship from different companies since October, 2012.

“We’re hoping we’ll give the association greater exposure,” says the association’s Executive Director Jim Smock (ha!), adding a difficult to believe, “no pun intended.”

However, the responses have been slim. Smock has received “three letters of regret, and a case of E. & J. Gallo Winery’s Naked Grape wine.” Hey, that’s something! (Also, did anyone see Wanderlust? Because Joe Lo Truglio as the nnudist winemaker was my fave.)

Still, the nudists “remain hopeful”. They have over 34,000 dues-paying members, and claim that about 15% of American vacationers are interested in clothing-optional recreation, and the market is ripe for the picking. Which, I was surprised, but apparently “coming out” as a nudist is something that’s on the verge of becoming mainstream.

Tom Mulhall is an association member and owner of the Terra Cotta Inn, a nudist resort in Palm Springs, Calif. If he were making the appeal to corporate executives, he says, he would speak to their bottom line. “Nudists are where the gay community was back in the ’60s. A lot of people are still in the closet,” he says. “It’s a much bigger market than people really realize.”

Alright!

I guess the first issue is: Where is the company going to advertise their logo? I mean, t-shirts and buttons (ouch!) are out. Ooh, maybe temporary tattoos?