MTV ads remind you that sex is no accident

You should always use a condom, unless you've got a really good excuse not to—like you were roller-skating down the street, tripped on the curb, fell into the back of a woman who was bent over packing her car, and accidentally had intercourse with her! That's the message of some amusing new pro-condom cartoons from Grey in Germany for MTV in Switzerland. See three full ads here. Such scenarios, of course, are unlikely—thus, the tagline: "Sex is not an accident. Always use a condom." The campaign is pretty airtight, logically speaking. However, in researching the topic, it becomes clear that many people have asked, in public Internet forums, whether a person can, in fact, have sex accidentally. Usually these questions come from a) young couples who have pledged to be celibate before marriage; and b) male friends who regret that their wrestling in the bathroom went a little too far. In both cases, condoms wouldn't be the worst idea. Via Ads of the World.

Filed under Condoms, Europe, Grey, MTV, Nudd
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Charlie Sheen's girlfriend does condom PSA

Charlie Sheen isn't the only one benefiting, marketing wise, from his searing glimpse into the smoldering core of truth. One of his live-in girlfriends (aka goddesses), Bree Olson—porn actress and AVN Award winner for Best New Starlet of 2008—is raising her own advertising profile. She's beginning, appropriately enough, with a PSA for pro-condom campaign Get Rubber!, as seen in this video published by TMZ.com. It's not the most high-class affair, and it's sponsored by Brazzers, which is a porn site. But hey, she has to start somewhere. Though with only 168,016 followers on Twitter (compared to Sheen's 2.7 million), she's not likely to rake in a fortune off Ad.ly sponsored-tweet deals any time soon.

(Video is moderately NSFW, but no nudity.)

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Condom or not? YouTube films let you pick

Interactive, choose-your-own-adventure YouTube films are getting more popular, particularly in the realm of PSAs, which are a natural fit, as they're often about making better choices. This latest effort, from NHS Bristol in the U.K., is a sexual-health campaign in which you're prompted at the end of each video to make a decision about condoms—whether to buy them, use them, etc. The effort is reminiscent of last year's knife-crime maze of videos (also from the U.K.), although here the consequences of your bad choices aren't quite as riveting. Rather than being given the opportunity to stab someone in the chest, you get a stern talking-to from a lady at the clinic. Via Osocio.

Filed under Condoms, Europe, Nudd, PSAs, Safe sex
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Condom ads urge you to get extremely dirty

"Spring has arrived," say these Tulipán condom ads from Y&R Argentina, celebrating the first day of that season (in the southern hemisphere) on Sept. 21. It's a day that also happens to be Student's Day, when schools are closed and the kids traditionally convene in parks for picnics, and apparently less G-rated activities. Our favorite Tulipán ad, however, remains this one from 2000, in which the Argentine brand visually threatened anal violence on the Brazilian soccer team. See three more ads after the jump. Via Ads of the World.

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Filed under Condoms, Nudd, South America, Y&R
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Would a baby app scare guys into safe sex?

Here's a case study for a fictional Durex iPhone app that simulates the experience of having a newborn. Created for the Cannes Future Lions 2010 competition, the video shows how such an app could scare young men into using condoms. I especially like the idea of a QR code in Durex packaging that would link to an "Anti Knock-Up Application" that protects your iPhone from being impregnated by mobile-device debauchery. The challenge of the Future Lions contest was to "advertise a product from a global brand in a way that couldn't be conceived five years ago." To that end, designers Nicolai Villads, Peter Ammentorp and Raul Montenegro seem to have hit the mark. I definitely don't think anyone in 2005 could have predicted the profitable sound of two phones humping.

—Posted by David Griner

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Extra-long condoms make public sex easier

(Click the images to enlarge.) What can you say about these Publicis India print ads for Adams extra-long condoms? At least Hitler isn't in them. See a third ad from the series at Ads of the World. Via Copyranter.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Durex China ad explores a world of orgasms

Warning: Audio is NSFW. A condom video presenting female orgasms from around the world? You know you want to watch. Except, there's nothing to see. Just a black screen with audio and titles like "Ingenue," "Gaspingly" and "Sobbingly." Yeah, I've heard a lot of sobs through the years from women in my bed, though for different reasons. There's also "Lamblike," which, from the sound of it, goes a tad heavy on the mint jelly. As for "American Style," well, on Jersey Shore, or in the apartment next door to mine on a Saturday night, maybe. Durex is the advertiser, China is the country of origin. Ads of the World credits Exis for creative development. It's NSFW. But you knew that was coming.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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Ads reveal danger of fruit-flavored condoms

These three ads from Draftfcb in Vienna suggest that Condomi's fruit-flavored condoms "taste like real fruit." So much so, in fact, that the wearer might have a reason to fear his (unseen) partner, who might suddenly forget where she (or he) is. One wonders: Who is the target consumer here? Women, I suppose, wouldn't make an overly literal interpretation of the ads. (For God's sake, ladies, don't take it literally!) Men might also laugh and shrug it off. But for some guys, this might be an instance where less succulent flavors are preferred.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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Use a condom, thwart that evil Hitler sperm

Do condom ads reflect the mind-sets of nations? In the U.S., we get faux-patriotism and soft-core porn, while the French have safe sex on the beach. Now, from Germany, comes a dour dose of angst via Grey in a campaign for Doc Morris Pharmacies. The message: Use a condom, and be sure you're not bringing the next Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler or Mao Zedong into the world. Of course, you'd have to sleep with one of those three to risk that—and I imagine most would abstain, especially in the case of Hitler, since he's been dead for almost 65 years. Or maybe the ads are just generally likening sperm to invaders and terrorists. The bad hairdos should be enough to frighten anyone away. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Condoms, Europe, Grey, Hitler
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French condoms can leave bizarre tan lines

Who better than the French to unfurl some cheeky fun in the prophylactic category? TBWA's ads for Hansaplast long-pleasure condoms have a beach theme, and though the gals keep their swimsuits on, those handprints suggest they were probably removed (or subverted) at some point for a decent (or maybe indecent) length of time. Said indentations imply a midday frolic in plain sight, but this is France, so probably nobody cared. At any rate, these ads are more naughty and playful than recent U.S. efforts by LifeStyles (frantic but soft-core) and Trojan ("stimulus package" line cute, but patriotic theme patently unsexy). As for Hansaplast ... whoa! What's that blonde been up to? Her priceless, world-weary expression says it all. Ooh, la la! Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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LifeStyles making love out of nothing at all

The Amp Agency's work for LifeStyles has never been known for its subtlety or restraint. This holds true for this latest campaign touting latex-free Skyn condoms. The hard-bodied hotties caught up in the throes of the "Skyn revolution" don't look overly concerned with safe sex or avoiding latex allergies to me. They're more into heavy petting, face sucking and Playboy TV-style soft-core shenanigans. Using Skyn condoms might make these activities "safe" in terms of decreasing the risk of transmitting STDs, but SFW results may vary. If you're employed by an organized religion, I'd skip the clip, though Silicon Valley drones can always claim it's a new viral project they're developing. If you work in management at AIG and you haven't returned that bonus, you're already going to hell, so you might as well kick back and enjoy the show.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Amp Agency, Condoms, Gianatasio, LifeStyles
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Balloon animals aren't all so squeaky clean

Here's the balloon-animals online commercial for Durex that seems to be getting posted all over creation. Nice work from Atlanta's Fitzgerald + Co. Via everybody, plus the copywriter.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Condoms, Durex, Fitzgerald + Co., Freaky, Nudd
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Bill Gates unwittingly stars in condom ad

As his co-starring role in the Microsoft videos showed, Bill Gates doesn't mind being in the occasional ad. But he might be surprised to see his likeness—or more accurately, a penis dressed up to look like him—in this graphic, bizarre, NSFW condom campaign from Belgium. "I finally discovered an efficient antivirus!!" says copy on the Gates ad. Another penis is dressed up like John Lennon, who isn't around to complain. A third is perhaps supposed to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are also two generic characters called "Hot Shot" and "Icedick." Advertolog credits the ads to an agency called Troy.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Lifestyles offers sexually liberated comedy

Lifestyles condoms, which we last saw letting it all hang out, has unveiled a new set of online videos created by ad shop AMP in Boston. “Lifestyles Condoms Aim for the Funny Bone,” Brandweek explains. The clips feature standup comedians Noah Starr and Baron Vaugh, who tout Lifestyles and promote frank talk about safe sex. “Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls,” says Carol Carozza, the company’s vp of marketing. She continues: “The variety of people Noah and Baron encounter have a variety of different sexual tastes. With our vast mix of customized products, Lifestyles can accommodate these sexual needs.” Now there’s a refreshing departure from the usual corporate-speak that CMO types dish out to describe new campaigns. Oh wait—funny bone! I just got it. Ha.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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New LifeStyles campaign lets it all hang out

Condom company LifeStyles, an advertiser that lost its sheath long ago when it comes to saucy (often sophomoric) ads, asks “What’s your LifeStyle?” in its first effort from AMP Agency. Surprise: The work makes with the risque images and bawdy wordplay. Brandweek’s description borders on breathless: “For the ‘Bold’ lifestyle, the creative features a shot of a young woman in a public bathroom hiking up her skirt to reveal her right butt-cheek, while swinging a pink metallic purse in her right hand. Another, ‘Well-Rounded,’ features a close-up of a voluptuous female rear in which the subject is tugging at her pink-striped underwear.” Can you say “rear” on the Internet? Barbara Lippert calls the ads “too, too cheeky,” and they’re really not so hot. Neither was my dating lifestyle, which could best be described as “Frightening” (by prospective partners) and “Desperate” (by me). Where’s the LifeStyles ad for all of us losers? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go see HR. You can say “rear” on the Internet, but there’s apparently a problem with me doing so via company servers on company time.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Condoms, LifeStyles
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Enrique Iglesias too small for condom ads

Ok, I’m going to try to keep this one SFW, so I’m not going to compare my manhood to Enrique Iglesias’s, nor will I make any attempts to woo Anna Kournikova. But Iglesias’s shocking — shocking, I say — admission that he’s not the right candidate to model Lifestyles condoms got me thinking. Who would be appropriate? David Lee Roth? Bret Michaels? Snoop? Milton Berle? Then it hit me: Get them all. This seems like the perfect opportunity for the Plaster Caster, the self-proclaimed recovering groupie who made souvenirs of all her conquests. (Her Web site would be NSFW, if I could get it to work. Sorry, I tried.) Cynthia, call your agent, an opportunity awaits.

—Posted by Aaron Baar

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NYC gets its very own branded condom

Talk about shrinkage. New York City picked one of the coldest days of the year—Valentine’s Day—to kick off a new public-service campaign that included handing out 26 million free condoms to promote safe sex. But they’re not just any condoms. They’re branded as official New York City condoms (actually made by Ansell Health Care’s Lifestyles condom unit), and the wrappers feature logos of the various subway lines that traverse the Big Apple (they got the colors wrong, though). The campaign also features radio spots and posters with slogans like “New York’s hottest wrapper. NYC condoms. Get some.” And get a room. But not St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

—Posted by Steve McClellan

Filed under Condoms, LifeStyles
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