Durex guns for creating safe sex #CondomEmoji

The popular condom brand's latest campaign goes viral, urging consumers to share and support the need to create official safe sex emoji.

Ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, the global sexual well-being brand Durex, known for its penchant to take the off-beat path in order to promote sexual wellness and awareness, has launched a global campaign to help create the world's first official safe sex emoji.

Posted on YouTube on November 18, the campaign has already garnered over 4.9 million views. The animated campaign shows how consumers use suggestive emojis while chatting about sex, but there's not a single emoji for safe sex.

The brand urges consumers to support the need to create a safe sex emoji by using #CondomEmoji, and share the campaign video.

According to a research conducted by Durex, emojis play a vital role in young people's conversations around sex, with 80 per cent of 18-25-year-olds using emojis to express themselves better, and over half the respondents regularly using emojis while discussing sex. The research further reveals that 84 per cent of youngsters in the age group of 18-25 say they feel more comfortable talking about sex using emojis.

But, it's not just sex we are talking about. It is the apathy that most have towards safe sexual practices, with over a third of the respondents claiming not to care about safe sex. Further research shows that nearly half the respondents think that HIV will never affect them or their friends.

This is definitely a cause for worry. The condom brand has therefore, launched a worldwide campaign to reach out to people to use and share the hashtag #CondomEmoji, an official safe sex emoji to be created by Unicode. Such an emoji will enable young people to overcome embarrassment around the discussion of safe sex, encourage conversation and raise awareness towards the importance of using condoms, essential in protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STI) such as HIV and AIDS.

Durex hopes for a favourable response from at least one million users, which can then be officially submitted to Unicode on World AIDS Day.

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. If we look 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 well-being."

Durex has been actively promoting the cause of safe sex in India for quite some time. The brand hired Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and created 'Do the Rex' viral campaign last year, and has executed on-ground activities to promote sexual awareness.

Durex, which employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide, produces a range of products, which includes high quality condoms, intimate lubricants and personal massagers. The brand is owned by RB, a leading consumer health and hygiene company. The company has operations in over 60 countries, with its headquarters in London, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in most countries across the globe.