2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

In Egyptian culture people see using condoms as a part of a debauched lifestyle, so even men aware of the benefits of the product are very apprehensive or even ashamed to buy the product. We needed to solve this barrier our customers had. We addressed this issue head on by going directly to the consumer and designing a package that eliminates and challenges that perception. We utilized existing cultural norms that celebrate newly weds and couples, and used that as an entry point. Making our package seem like an essential part of a couples journey, and something to celebrate

Background

Egyptians consider sex as one of the "taboo" topics in the society & approach marriage without having any sort of proper understanding of the process and the useful means of contraception & family planning. Condoms’ penetration in Egypt is very low with a 0.5%* prevalence rate among married couples Egypt while contraceptive prevalence is around 60%. Durex is challenged to change consumer perception and convince them on the usage of Durex condoms as a main contraceptive method by elevating condoms beyond protection and introducing Durex as an enabler of pleasure for the couple. Our customers barriers to the product was improving our positioning since condoms are seen as a method for people having sex outside of marriage and as old school protection method and finding a solution for the embarrassment during the purchase Our objective Build awareness & increase Durex condoms trial within newly married couples in Egypt

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

We designed a package inspired by the many special Groom oriented products and services in Egypt, such the groom haircut, the groom massage package. We designed and distributed the Package el 3arees or "Grooms Package". Designed to communicate to newly weds, the packaging was fitted in a tuxedo so that now any one can walk up to counter and ask for the "Grooms Package", giving our customers the confidence in not having to feel any judgement from the teller. To make this a genuinely special product, we placed a very detailed FAQ on what every product does and how to use it written in a funny and engaging way, finally a first of its kind in the region, a game designed to be a perfect ice breaker to newlyweds and a sexy to get to know each other better on the most important night of their lives.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Newly weds are at the core of our audience, as how they set off their journey will in-turn dictate what kind of customers we can expect them to be, so after conducting thorough research both quantitative and qualitative we found that condom usage was at only 0.5% with our target audience and that "Embarrassment during the purchase" was one of the key trial barriers for our customers. Also that "Condoms are seen as a method for people having sex outside of marriage" mainly due to media and their positioning in pop culture and TV. So addressing those became our main goals, creating a perfect solution for this obstacle to drive trials and gain new customers.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched our product through a digital video and the post blewup with more than 2.9M views and more than 4000 comments and 15,000 likes. We launched in Pharmacies to help address this with our customers directly. We also wanted to give our consumers the ability to buy the product from a variety of outlets understanding that we are still changing perceptions and that some consumers might still be uncomfortable with buying the product from a Brick and mortar store, So we launched the product on E-commerce websites Souq and Jumia in December 2020. The product sold out 2 times in a period of 6 days.

List the results (30% of vote)

Till now more than 3000 couples have purchased the grooms pack Comments on our posts mostly discussed Durex within the marriage context both positive and negative showing that a conversation has started The initial stock sold out in 6 days, causing 2 runs of the product to be produced. Almost 3000 Packs sold, causing more E-commerce websites such as Noon to preorder the product to sell on their platform. All of this has over archived the last promotion done for the World Cup by 20 times in a 1/10th of the time.