SKYN Allows You to Skip Ads…but Not Foreplay

Today, porn is the dominant source of sex education for young men, which skews their relationship with sex and their partners*. They have a deformed view of reality and give less and less of an importance to listening, the desires of others, and the importance of foreplay.

As a leader in the conversation about intimacy, sexual wellness brand SKYN and its agency, Sid Lee Paris decided to challenge this and use porn to address the problem. They did so by leveraging voices young people would listen to when it comes to sex advice: the pornstars themselves. Super(porn)stars Stoya and Dale Cooper participated in the campaign.

SKYN chose to communicate where people are most likely to hear the message - Pornhub; the porn site with the most web traffic. Starting on 16th April for one month, Pornhub viewers will discover a pre-roll ad featuring these two pornstars. These ads are sensual videos of foreplay shot in 35mm by Sergi Castella from CREAM, in which Stoya and Dale address viewers directly: "You can skip an ad, but you shouldn't skip foreplay" - a montage breaking the codes of the category, inviting people to take their time.

On the website, Stoya and Dale Cooper talk about the importance of foreplay and why, when it comes to real sex, people shouldn’t skip ahead. Stoya adds that porn often offers a distorted view of sex: "Remember that pornography is not intended as a sex education program. It’s not a how-to guide." Dale adds: "All sex education cannot be thrown on porn, but at the same time, porn could play a bigger role, instead of just focusing on penetration." As a condom brand, SKYN believes in reminding people that sex begins long before the condom is opened and it’s not just limited to penetration.

In parallel, SKYN has also created a special edition how-to leaflet, the first that features foreplay. While classic instructions feature a few illustrations and a quick explanation of how to put on a condom, the Don't Skip Foreplay version puts the emphasis on what comes before by adding 14 illustrations of foreplay. This guide for foreplay was born from the testimonies of influencers, academics, sexologists, sociologists and others, featuring quotes and graphics created by Parisian illustrator Sophie Dherbecourt.