In India, sex as a topic is inundated and surrounded by stigmas, taboos, and furtive conversations. Brands that cater to the sexual health and wellness industry, also suffer the same fate. Durex, however, subverts these stigmas and imprudent beliefs by making people laugh and still handling the sensitive topic with appropriate sensibility through its marketing.
Durex became the second-largest condom brand in India in FY21. The company markets itself, ostensibly well as it has cemented itself as a household name in the sexual wellness industry. The brand comprehends the reach that Instagram has and uses it to its full potential to make a connection. Durex uses Instagram reels to connect with and widen its customer base by not only engaging in vital conversations revolving around sex but also by being entertaining to its audiences.
Social Samosa takes a look at how Durex uses comedy, celebs, and YouTubers to proliferate sex education and open up conversations on pleasure, health, and love-making.
Colour palette
Blue, White, and Black with bright colours in animations
Durex India has 281K followers on Instagram and it entertains them by posting constantly. Instagram is a good intermediate platform that converts audiences into customers. Durex has carved out a chunk of Instagram users and retails their products, never directly but through fun storytelling, humour, and animations. The brand continues to stay relevant and comment on recent events by subliminally placing the products or by using the product as a prop instead of the centrepiece.
Durex is pretty light-hearted when it comes to social media but at the same, it doesn't trivialize its platform and voice. The brand constantly narrates Queer stories, of the inclusivity, of female pleasure. The brand profusely tries to bring awareness to STD prevention and endorses safe sex. Durex understands its obligations towards society and fulfils them by being vociferous and courageous in talking about taboo topics.
Durex Reels has a personal touch to them as well, the brand converses with its audiences through reels instead of just advertising. The brand follows a certain trajectory to forge a rapport and here’s how Durex does this.
How are Products marketed?
The products are always interlinked with some type of story be it a joke or information. The brand doesn't follow suit of its contemporaries with the quintessential girl and guy in romantic/ tempestuous settings. The brand sprinkles its reels with jokes, and intrigue, which demand attention and yet still being entertaining which in turn spikes up audiences.
“That's what she wants”
With the “That's what she wants” video the brand breaches the undiscovered domain of female pleasure. The brand passes the mike to women and exhorts men to curtail their assuming and let women speak for themselves. The hashtag talks about what women desire, and how to know. The brand presents the “glossary of women’s pleasure” and how to improve women’s experience in the bedroom. Durex lets Comedian Urooj Ashfaq and YouTuber Sakshi Shivdasani take charge and represent fellow women to spread the message. Durex uses popular and in-demand young celebs to garner more audiences.
Use of celebs
Durex pragmatically uses Celebrities such as Radhika Apte, Kalki Koechlin, Swara Bhaskar, YouTuber Dolly Singh, and Comedian Kenny Sebastian, among others to magnify the message and subsequently the brand. Celebrities bring their followers along with them and attract more people to the brand. Collaboration with celebrities drives audience interactions and raises brand awareness.
Humour
If I had to describe Durex’s Instagram page in one word- funny is the epithet I would use. The brand posts reels with impeccable sense of humour and a visit to the page is sure to make you chuckle. Durex makes sure that people who come to their page have a good time, reels with animations, jokes, and subtle product placement drive the brand’s message home.
Sex education and health
Durex understands its duty to society and uses its platform to constantly endorse precautionary measures, the importance of safe sex, and consent. The brand tries to break the stigma around STDs, and HIV in society. The brand supports the efforts of various AIDS foundations. Durex tries to delineate useful public service announcements to its audiences.
A platform for the LGBTQIA+ community
Inclusion and diversity are the two tenets of the brand. Being a sexual health and wellness brand, Durex pays attention that it is diverse and doesn’t adhere to heteronormativity. The brand focuses on giving voices to the LGBTQIA+ community and ensures everyone feels included. The brand uses its platform to tell authentic stories by sharing the stage with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Key Takeaways
- Product placement with humour
- Using celebrities to talk about vital topics like consent, sex education, and female pleasure to reach the masses
- Durex utilizes Youtubers in small skits to widen the reach
- Use of current events with hashtags (April Fool’s Day, Made in Heaven S2, Chandrayaan, National Sports Day) to stay relevant and pop up more
- Gives voice to the LGBTQIA+ community
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