Durex Advertisement

How and when were condoms first advertised?

We think that the first condom advertisement appeared in the New York Times in 1861. It was an ad for Dr. Power's French Preventatives. The Durex brand name was registered in 1929, chosen to represent DUrability, Reliability and EXcellence.

Why are condoms still such a tricky product to advertise?

I think the difficulty is not because of the product per se but more on the subject. Sex is an area where a lot of taboos and guilt still exist. So sex related products will always face the challenge of getting into very intimate territory and overcoming these taboos to normalise sex. We’ve had a lot of success in talking to consumers about sex and the usage of condoms in a non judgmental, universal and still respectful way as well as promoting the fun and healthy side of sex.

More often than not humour is used to advertise condoms – why do you think this is?

When it comes to Durex, humour is in the brand advertising DNA and is part of the brand equity. Simplicity and humour allow the brand to use metaphors and be implicit about sex and pleasure. Most of our ads are highly entertaining and appealing and they always have a twist at some point and humour is used to lighten things up.

Why are condom adverts so often banned?

It’s not easy to advertise sex. But despite some adverse stories, public acceptance is surprising consistent across countries. The vast majority of people acknowledge that they enjoy the appeal of sex in the context of advertising and the media provided it is subtle, respectful, classy and tasteful. To have an erotic dimension is acceptable as long as it is seductive, sensual, and invites them to use their imagination. A tongue in cheek approach, irony, humour and playfulness are key Durex advertising characteristics that consumers appreciate. On the other hand they are quite unanimous when rejecting any type of communication that portrays sex as gratuitous, manipulative, too explicit, sexist, degrading,...