When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it changed consumer shopping behavior. Condom brand Durex reacted to that change by rolling out a mobile-first campaign that offered its audience free shipping with its e-commerce partners. The creative for the campaign was cheeky and linked the importance of staying safe by wearing a mask and by wearing a condom.
Objective and Context:
During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, consumers panicked and started hoarding essentials fearing that stores would run out of stock of the items they needed most. One item consumers stocked up on was condoms. The consumer buying behavior for condoms prior to lockdowns was mainly through offline stores. But as a result of the lockdown, Durex knew its sales would likely be affected as shopping took place primarily online. Durex wanted to calm the hoarding madness and thoughtfully adapt to the social distancing situation by offering people a safe condom purchase method through e-commerce.
Target Audience:
Durex targeted its customers across the country who were restricted from going out due to the nationwide lockdown. The consumers were anxious about the virus but were finding ways to adapt to it and enjoy the new normal.
Creative Strategy:
Durex leveraged this situation as an opportunity to talk about safety, in regard to both health and sex. As a responsible brand dedicated to providing lovers protection, Durex decided to speak about the importance of safety and about the necessity of protection to ensure safety. Masks and condoms became much more linked in this sense; they both shield against risks.
Durex also reassured consumers of its ample inventory and partnered with e-commerce sites to ensure buyers could get great deals and free delivery on condoms.
Overall Campaign Execution:
Durex used social media as the key hub for this campaign. It ran a series of content talking about the importance of staying safe inside and out (referring to both health and making love). With a touch of witty language, Durex turned the protection conversation into light-hearted and entertaining pieces of content that grabbed attention and were shared widely on social media.
Simultaneously, Durex also reassured its audience that the brand's fully-stocked products would always be ready for them to enjoy with their partners. Convenient e-commerce shopping methods and appealing promotions were offered to further strengthen Durex's commitment to safety.
Mobile Execution:
Keeping in mind social distancing, Durex executed a mobile-focused campaign, as during this time people stayed inside and spent most of their time on mobile devices.
Ninety percent of the media budget allocation was for mobile-centric touchpoints. Moreover, all of the social content was customized to be mobile-first. The content then directed consumers to Durex's official stores on e-commerce channels to provide consumers a seamless, mobile-driven journey.
The campaign resulted in 270,000 engagements. Durex also gained 87 percent share of voice of the whole category. This led to a significant impact on the business with 33 percent e-commerce growth. The campaign generated more than 10,000 link clicks to the e-commerce partners' site during the lockdown period.
