The Condom Marketing Playbook – What’s the next chapter?

India has always been a land of contradictions, one where a bullock cart and a Tesla can share the same road space. Similarly, while the youth is comfortable exploring their sexuality and seek a progressive gender-neutral society, it still continues to appear equally uncomfortable and reluctant to use a condom!

This low condom usage comes as a shock given the peaking sexual curiosity and awareness exhibited by the youth. According to an India Sex Survey by that’s Personal, 22% of the buyers of sex products are 18-24 and 44% of them are 25–34-year-old. Despite having the largest population within the reproductive age bracket, especially the youth, the Indian condom market at $200 million, is just 2% of the global market in value [1].

This is reflected in the data shared by the National Family Health Survey – 4 (NFHS – 4) that states that 70% of male adolescents between the age of 15-19 and 78% of young male between the age of 20-24 did not use a contraceptive with their last sexual partner! There is a definite disconnect somewhere between the youth’s desire to indulge in sexual activity and their understanding of practising safe sex.

Given the implications on the sexual and reproductive health of the nation’s youth, t is essential to understand and address the barriers preventing the youth from exercising safer and healthier sexual practices.i

Sex continues to be viewed as a taboo topic within Indian society. Having conversations around safe sex or contraceptives is equally uncomfortable and awkward and marketing is even more challenging. Regulations restricting the condom advertisement broadcasting timings to the midnight hour from 10 PM to 6 AM, further fuel the perception that condoms should only be discussed behind closed doors. Without healthy conversations and proper guidance, the youth are often forced to rely on misleading information from equally clueless peers or pornography.

While there is a need to review regulations such as broadcasting restrictions, there might also be some merit in reviewing the messaging, positioning and marketing of condoms as a category that could potentially be a deterrent for condom purchase and usage amongst the youth. Condoms were initially introduced as a means to aid family planning. The advertisements and the messaging amplified the positioning. These advertisements typically showcased a married couple and defined condoms as protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and for effective birth control. Various public service campaigns along similar lines were created by organization such as National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), Population Services International (PSI), etc. While some of these such as the ‘Condom is Just another Word’ or the one featuring ‘Bula Di’, did manage to capture attention and build necessary awareness, the messaging did not necessarily resonate with the urban youth.

Commercial players saw the gap and attempted to change the narrative from protection to pleasure, to resonate with the younger urban audience that included un-married couples as well. Also, the reduced pleasure associated with condom usage is also a deterrent to condom usage. Hence, brands introduced and promoted products like dotted condoms, flavored condoms, climax delay condoms to up condoms’ pleasure quotient, and their communications too moved from protection to pleasure angle. However, some brands took it a bit far by showcasing ‘sleaze’ in the garb of promoting pleasure.

There were other brands as well who tried to break away from the mould by taking a different approach to create stronger urban youth connect. e.g., We at Skore tried our bit by conducted India’s first condom fashion show- Skore Fashionista, wherein the key message was condom is fashionable or launching book packaging with the condom placed inside a box that resembles a book. 

While these marketing initiatives attempt to normalize the category, it is equally important to reinforce the messaging of why using a condom is important. Condom Alliance – A shared value collective of condom market players and other stakeholders to improve the well-being of young people in India. Condom Alliance recently launched “Kaun Dumb Hai” - a new age campaign directed towards the youth.

Through a witty video, the campaign urges the youth to not be ‘dumb’ by believing the myths and misconceptions that surround the use of condoms and instead to identify themselves as smart and use a condom. There is a need for more such campaigns that build awareness and position condoms as a ‘sexual wellness’ product, with messaging that grabs attention but also forces the youth to reflect on their actions to make a healthier, safer and ‘cooler’ choice. While traditional marketing needs a relook, one must not ignore the impact of new-age media in this new era of digitization.

The youth is always connected through multiple gadgets; streaming information across platforms and scrolling through multiple apps at the same. While traditional media continues to play an integral role in shaping society, the millennial and Gen Z seek validation and authentication of that information through social media and other digital platforms.  It’s an invaluable opportunity for marketers to seamlessly integrate the online and offline platforms to create 360-degree marketing campaigns. Cutting-edge technology such as Conversation Media Marketing, Artificial Intelligence can play a key role in making information more intuitive, interactive and accessible. The creative use of gaming and other youth-centric platforms can help disseminate the messaging around safe sex and the use of condoms in a fun and engaging manner.

The SHOPS Plus project in India has developed and launched a chatbot – HelloJubi. The chatbot provides a private, reliable platform for users to receive factual information on family planning and sexual and reproductive health topics. It also offers interactive video quizzes to provide an immersive experience. There is a need to further build on these initiatives. 

To bring about long-term behaviour change and normalise the use of condoms, it is imperative to initiate conversations within mainstream society. Thus, while the messaging can help change the narrative, a holistic marketing campaign that combines both traditional and new age media can transform the reach and impact of the campaign. Collaborations and partnerships will play a significant role in building acceptance and establishing an authentic voice that resonates with the youth.

Youth icons can play a significant role in normalising the use of condoms and encourage the youth to view the use of condoms as a smart and acceptable choice. Similarly, there is an opportunity to engage and partner with youth brands to integrate the messaging within the target audience as well as society at large. From using Over The Top (OTT) platforms to strategic in-film placements, the marketers now have the opportunity to leverage a wide variety of platforms to expand reach.

It is about creating and curating the ideal marketing mix. There is a need to dispel the myths and misconceptions, while building a strong case for condoms as a sexual wellness product that need not be discussed in hush tones behind closed doors only during the midnight hour of 10 to 6! It’s time to take the existing condom marketing playbook to the next level as brands discover the power of new-age marketing tools and their impact when aligned with the social reach of the traditional channels. 

[1]https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/condom-market#:~:text=The%20global%20condom%20market%20size%20was%20estimated%20at%20USD%208.5,USD%209.2%20billion%20in%202020.