Although many of the advertisements we have been examining in this blog push the limit, it seems that condom ads go a bit further. YouTube has provided an outlet for condom companies to create some very creative viral ad campaigns and it seems that consumers are loving them. Does the fact that many of these campaigns only appear on viral sites such as YouTube hinder condom sales? Definitely not and if anything, these viral campaigns that are passed from consumer to consumer through word-of-mouth are more successful than any television advertisement.
Durex is one brand who has become quite clever in their use of YouTube for advertisements:
I remember hearing about the above advertisement through Facebook and have seen it many other times on both YouTube and Twitter — so it has gotten around in the social networking world.
Durex has also taken a more subtle, yet successful route, with this advertisement shown in France:
With the cheery song and incorporation of different age groups in the ad, Durex is sure to successfully target and impact buying decisions from all of their potential consumers.
You are probably asking why these ads only appear on social networking sites, and not on television channels throughout the world. The reason why condom advertisements on television are a ‘touchy’ subject is due to networks. However, as stated in an article in the Chicago Tribune, the American public may be ready for more condom advertisements on television:
In a sample of 1,142 adults, 71 percent of the participants supported the airing of condom ads on network television. Of those in favor, about half said the ads should be allowed only at certain hours, such as late at night, when children are less likely to see them.
I believe that with the increasing popularity of such advertisements on social networking sites, we will be seeing more condom ads on our television sets quite soon.
lindleygraham
carolineblack
erinmackey
