DUREX

Shifting Perceptions: Embracing PDAs

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Personal lubricants are very, well, personal. So when MAVERICK was tasked with creating an innovative and engaging campaign to introduce Durex Lovers Embrace Pleasure Gels, we had to get VERY creative!

Convincing conservative Canadians to talk about sex is a challenge we’ve taken on in stride for the past few years. Convincing them to consider lubricant specifically, and to shift perceptions from lubricant being a functional product for ‘issues’ to a fun way to spice things up (without being pornographic), was a different story.

EXECUTION

After a lot of brainstorming, giggling and a few at-home trials, we focused in on the key emotional benefit of the product – bringing couples closer together. Sex doesn’t start in the bedroom; it doesn’t even start with foreplay. For people in relationships, affection is what stimulates our desire to touch each either, to hold hands, kiss and caress. So, to get couples connecting and considering something new to spice up their sex lives, affection was the place to start.

We developed an integrated campaign that invited Canadians to “EmbraceThePDA”. Couples entered by hashtagging a picture of themselves with #EmbraceThePDA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. All entries were aggregated in a gallery on Facebook and select couples got their 15 minutes of fame on the Durex Kiss Cam – a huge digital billboard at Yonge Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, Canada’s busiest intersection.

To really get things going, MAVERICK worked with top Canadian influencers, including renowned sexologist Dr. Jess, to spread the word as Embrace Ambassadors, helping increase engagement nationally.

The campaign was supported by digital advertising as well as promoted posts. MAVERICK managed the program from start to finish including campaign strategy, social media management and content strategy, digital and social creative development, blogger and influencer relations.

RESULTS

Over 350 entries from couples across Canada

4 million social media impressions with blogger engagement achieving over 300,000 additional impressions;  increasing engagement on Twitter and Facebook by 100% during the campaign period

Marketing trade coverage about the innovative program in Strategy, AdWeek and Marketing Mag