Havas London & Durex Call for an Official #CondomEmoji This World AIDS Day

In a new social media campaign video created by Havas London, Durex are calling for the creation of a condom emoji. Launched in the run-up to World AIDS Day on 1st December, the campaign video is live on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The film is designed to address the fact that emojis are the new language of young people even when it comes to starting and developing relationships, but no safe sex emoji is available yet.

The film – which uses emojis like the aubergine, hot dog and peach to show how people are currently discussing sex on mobile devices – calls on viewers to use the hashtag #CondomEmoji, and highlights World AIDS Day, reinforcing the need for better communication around safe sex.

The film was created by Shynola, a trio of London-based visual artists who have collaborated on a number of advertisement as well as music videos for the like of Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead and Coldplay.

Mark Whelan, Global Creative Officer at Havas London said, “With the Oxford dictionary having recently named an emoji as word of the year, it’s clear that the way we communicate has changed. For a brand like Durex that plays an important role in helping people have safe-sex, it’s important to understand this and help young people in particular have this conversation in a way that’s natural to them.”

Volker Sydow, Global Director Durex says: “Durex believes in happier, healthier sex lives and World AIDS Day is a hugely significant reminder about the importance of safe sex. Looking at how influential messaging is in the development of relationships today, an official safe sex emoji is a simple and empowering step towards better protection and sexual wellbeing.”