The Durex UK campaign for Masturbation Month in 2020 was an innovative and bold attempt to normalize the discussion around masturbation and sexual health. As part of their campaign, Durex UK released an eye-catching commercial featuring a woman engaging in solo sex in a safe and celebratory way.
Overall, this poster effectively conveys its message of celebrating masturbation as an enjoyable activity. The bright colours and bold font serve to grab the viewer’s attention. At the same time, the illustrations help to convey the message of self-love and acceptance. The poster also provides a platform for normalizing the conversation surrounding sexual pleasure, helping to break down the stigma associated with masturbation.
The poster ad is in the format of a text chat template, ideally used to represent a conversation between individuals. The reference here is made to the famous series Sex Education on Netflix, which introduced Aimee, a character of a young girl who explores sexual pleasures in her way to find herself in a new experience altogether. The ad features a famous scene from the series in the form of dialogues represented as text chats. The image’s background also cannot go unnoticed, with Durex as a wallpaper to the chat, which essentially endorses the brand itself.
This ad powerfully communicates to its viewers that self-pleasure is a natural and healthy part of a person’s sexuality. The explicitly sexual nature of the ad is a bold move by Durex UK, especially in a country where certain attitudes towards sex and masturbation remain pretty conservative. By releasing this poster ad, Durex UK sends a powerful and progressive message that celebrates and normalizes the discussion around self-pleasure.
The ad also reminds viewers to practice safe sex, as Durex UK is primarily a provider of contraceptives and other sexual health products. In addition, the ad includes a subtle reminder to practice safe sex and to reach out to Durex UK for more information on how to do so. Overall, the Durex UK campaign for Masturbation Month was a bold and progressive move that communicates a powerful message about self-pleasure, sexual health, and safe sex. By airing this ad, Durex UK is helping to normalize the discussion around masturbation and to destigmatize it in our society.