Where: Thailand

The challenge:

In Thailand, teen pregnancy is a significant societal challenge - with only 22% of teens admitting to using condoms. The challenge becomes even harder when you consider that sex is regarded as a taboo topic, not to be discussed with family members or in public space. There are strict communications regulations around birth control, with condoms categorised as medicine for which advertising is not allowed. Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturer of condom brand Durex, wanted to engage with Thai youth and help them understand how to practice safe sex.

The execution:

We worked with the client to devise the “Durex Educational Campaign” which aimed to engage young people on the subject of sexual health in an environment that was immediately accessible and felt safe and secure - through their smartphones. Spending an average of seven hours a day online, these teens have grown up with the internet and it’s the first place they turn to for information and advice - it is a trusted space.

Navigating Thai advertising restrictions, we partnered with Dek-D.com (a popular platform for teenagers) to create a social and digital video campaign to educate and help teens with their sexual health. We divided the content into useful sections on topics such as ‘how to use a condom’ and used different  formats to explore these topics - even creating quizzes to engage teenagers and encourage sharing. The content schedule was tied to key dates, such as Valentine’s Day.

The fun and friendly tonality of the content was a key factor in allowing teens to discuss sex issues in a light-hearted manner.

The results:

This was the first time that sexual education was brought into the spotlight in Thailand through a major media campaign. The content was well received, with the average views of the content sitting at 1.3 million -  a 113% increase on the site average.  The quizzes were also a huge success, with 16,000 quizzes completed - an 88% increase on the Dek-D.com average. The campaign achieved over 700,000 organic shares on Facebook, smashing our KPI by 150%.

We enabled Reckitt Benckiser in its mission to raise awareness on sexual well-being and become a force for positive change. Together we have helped audiences make responsible choices through this sophisticated approach to a safe sex campaign.

Check out more inspiring examples of our work on SDG3.