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In a digital landscape often painted in the muted, minimalist tones of Scandi-chic, one Indian brand is gleefully throwing buckets of bold colour. Thirdbase, a sexual wellness D2C player, is taking on India's often-hushed conversations around intimacy with a vibrant, meme-fueled, and quirky approach. Co-founder Ashmita Rathi is at the helm of this venture, steering a brand that’s as much an extension of her personality as it is a calculated market disruptor. In just a year, Thirdbase has grown to carve out a distinctive niche, proving that when it comes to sexual wellness, a spoonful of humour helps the message go down.
The journey for Thirdbase began, as many entrepreneurial tales do, with a desire for something more. Rathi, who’s had the experience of working at agencies, yearned to pivot into the product space. "Having my own brand was something I looked forward to," she recalls. "I had worked with many brands, but I wanted to create something of my own." The sexual wellness arena, she felt, was "misunderstood and underrepresented," a market largely confined to the usual suspects of condoms and lubricants. But where some saw limitations, Rathi saw an open field.
The anti-minimalist approach
From its very inception, Thirdbase was designed to be the antithesis of the demure. "From the beginning, I wanted to move away from minimalism," Rathi declares, a conscious uncoupling from the prevailing aesthetic. "With so much content on social platforms and quick commerce, customers are bombarded with neutral tones and basics. Our approach was to stand out with bold, maximalist aesthetics, both visually and in our brand language." This isn't just about loud colours; it's a philosophy woven into their unique product design, transforming functional items into objects of desire and conversation starters—a vital unique selling proposition in a category awakening to design thinking.
The brand’s effervescent personality, as Rathi puts it, is "an extension of who I am—quirky, humorous, and human." This authenticity is the bedrock of their communication. For Thirdbase, humour is more than just a tactic; it's the lubricant for societal change, a disarming force in a culture where direct discussions about sex can still be fraught with inhibition. "Humour makes difficult conversations easier, especially around sex. It encourages engagement," she explains. The metrics back this up, revealing a fascinating pattern of "silent solidarity." "We’ve seen posts reach 60K organic shares but only 47 comments," Rathi notes. "People share but don’t always feel comfortable commenting, which is why virality matters to us." In a digital landscape where algorithms favour interaction, these shares are golden, creating an ever-expanding ripple effect of awareness and normalisation, proving that a shared chuckle can be more powerful than a thousand hesitant clicks.
Memes, meta, and marketing moxie
Targeting Gen Z—a demographic notorious for its fleeting attention spans and adeptness at "doom-scrolling"—requires a special kind of marketing alchemy. Thirdbase’s elixir? Memes. "A lot of our content is meme-based," says Rathi. "Memes are a great way to connect with Gen Z. They have short attention spans… so content needs to be crisp and humorous." This isn't just about hopping on trends; it's about speaking the native language of their audience. The overarching strategy is a carefully calibrated tightrope walk: "People are on social media to be entertained, so we balance entertainment and education using humor and concise information." Imagine a complex topic like consent, distilled not into a dry pamphlet, but into a relatable, shareable comic strip or a witty, thought-provoking meme that lands with impact.
This unapologetically bold and witty tone wasn't stumbled upon; it was a conscious pivot from the industry's traditionally staid voice. "After speaking to customers, friends, and family, I realized humor resonated better," Rathi shares. The real acid test? "When people remembered our posts weeks later, it was clear we were on the right path."
However, this vibrant path is pockmarked with platform-specific pitfalls, especially the eyes of Meta's advertising policies. "The biggest challenge is advertising policies—especially on Meta," Rathi candidly admits. "There are strict guidelines on what words and visuals can be used." This is where Thirdbase's creative team dons its linguistic acrobat hats. "We focus on clean, suggestive but safe copywriting. It’s a key tool for us—communicating with nuance without triggering platform restrictions." For a brand in the intimacy space, where an ill-chosen adjective can mean the difference between reach and restriction, "copywriting is everything. It can make or break you," she emphasizes. This sophisticated wordplay is an art form, a constant negotiation with algorithms. The visual strategy is equally nuanced, treading the "fine line between being sexy and being vulgar," ensuring designs are consistently "fun, but never obscene." It’s a testament to their skill that they manage to be provocative without being problematic, suggestive without being explicit, especially critical in a country with broad obscenity laws.
Tapping into India's quiet curiosity
Conventional wisdom might peg a brand like Thirdbase as a purely urban phenomenon, resonating primarily within the liberal enclaves of India's metropolitan cities. The reality, however, has been a source of both surprise and profound learning. "We initially thought this would only work in metro cities," Rathi reveals. "But we’ve seen significant interest from tier II and tier III cities, including the Northeast." This geographical spread is a powerful indicator of a latent, widespread curiosity and an evolving mindset across a far broader swathe of India than often assumed. "People are curious and experimental but still want discretion," she observes. The digital revolution, reaching deep into these regions, has created new avenues for discovery and private consumption, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.
The acute need for discretion in these markets has led to some memorable customer service moments, underscoring the delicate dance of trust-building in a sensitive D2C category. "I even had a customer ask if we could deliver to a bus stand!" Rathi shares, a smile in her voice. "He called to check the parcel before accepting it because of a previous bad experience with another brand. That shows the trust people are slowly placing in us, even if they are cautious." Such stories are more than just quirky anecdotes; they are vital data points, illustrating the deep-seated anxieties Thirdbase is working to alleviate, one discreetly packaged parcel at a time.
This sensitivity to cultural context is paramount. When tackling topics like sex education and contraception, Thirdbase navigates with care. "We keep content gender-neutral and humorous without being offensive," Rathi explains. "Before posting, we get multiple perspectives to avoid unintentionally hurting sentiments. If something feels off, we tweak it. We also avoid terminology that could be seen as inappropriate or insensitive." This approach is key to building bridges and fostering genuine dialogue.
The in-house edge and a nightstand in every home
The engine driving this agile and authentic marketing output is Thirdbase's in-house creative team. For Rathi, who has experienced the agency world firsthand, this structure is non-negotiable for a startup. "Having an in-house team brings agility. If I have an idea, the team is right there, and we can execute quickly. Speed is critical for startups," she asserts. This close-knit collaboration allows the brand to react instantaneously to trends, maintain remarkable consistency in its unique voice, and be "cost-effective and better for brand-led creative."
As a bootstrapped venture focused on sustainable growth, Thirdbase's marketing budget is strategically allocated: "Currently, about 70% goes into performance and 30% into organic initiatives." While organic content is the heart and soul of the brand, cultivating community and reinforcing its identity, performance marketing is the indispensable growth lever, driving sales and scaling operations. "Sales are a priority," Rathi states, a pragmatic approach for any young D2C contender.
The horizon for Thirdbase is expansive. "Definitely. We plan to expand our product categories, but it’s a step-by-step process," says Rathi, hinting at a methodical expansion strategy. She notes the "fragmented" nature of the current market, where "one brand might offer something, but there’s no holistic approach." This is where Thirdbase sees its grand opportunity. "Our full name is Thirdbase Wellness Pvt. Ltd., and we plan to enter the broader wellness space," she reveals. The ultimate vision is both ambitious and intimately relatable: "Ultimately, I want every nightstand to have at least one Third Base product. That’s the goal."