BUZZ NEWS

Durexhibit Brings Awareness

Posted on October 10, 2008
Jessica Hartstein

Durex, the international condom maker with headquarters in the UK, has a public service message for youth: only condoms can protect against both STIs and unplanned pregnancies. This is a message that educators, government officials, health care professionals, and NGO workers have been trying to get out for years. It only makes sense that Durex has also joined the effort…not only does it do good for the public to keep STI rates at bay, but it is also a giant plug for its product!

How has it joined the effort? Durex organized the Durexhibit in the UK. The famous condom brand invited 16-24 year olds to create posters that would “persuade other young adults to think twice before risking unprotected sex”. Unprotected sex among youth is a harsh reality in today’s world, and especially in the UK, where there are more teenage pregnancies than any other European country. If that sounds shocking to you, the US pregnancy rate (the highest in the developed world) is more than double that of the UK!

Check out the winning poster ("Love is Blind—Herpes", by Samuel Michael):

More than 500 posters were submitted to Durexhibit and the winner (decided by an online vote) was awarded £500 + £200 in Durex products! The 19 runner ups were given £100 in Durex products. Talk about knowing its audience! This UGC contest resulted in some EXCELLENT posters, some fantastic BUZZ, and turned out much cheaper than a regular advertising campaign. The cherry on top is that it is also for a good cause, helping prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of STIs (on the rise at alarming rates). The winner, Samuel Michael, will get to see his work “Love is Blind—Herpes” put to a good cause during this year’s National Condom Week.

This was a well-thought out initiative that will hopefully stick around for years to come. Wouldn’t it be great to see similar efforts this side of the Atlantic? Getting youth engaged and speaking directly to others just like them is a marvelous way to create some safe sex buzz!

Here are some of the runners up (for the Durexhibit archives, click here):