Done The Rex Yet?

Condom brand Durex has released a digital film titled 'Do The Rex', that has begun catching people's fancy on social media. The film is a bold, rap sequence featuring Bollywood A-lister Ranveer Singh. A look at the effort.

Sure, we're a nation where sex is still not spoken about freely, but we're also the birthplace of a first-of-its-kind music video released by a condom brand, one that has fetched over 1,50,000 in just a day from its launch.

Reckitt Benckiser's Durex has released a peppy rap video featuring Bollywood A-lister Ranveer Singh, who gives us more than just pelvic thrusts and funny lyrics (read: "khushiyon ka chaata"). He gives us a replicable signature dance move called 'The Rex', which, we learn, is a physical expression of the joy and ecstasy one experiences after having a wonderful sexual experience.

Evidently targeted at the country's youth, the two minute and five second long video has been created by digital agency Digitas Lbi. First launched on the company's page Durexindia.com/dotherex, the video was subsequently released on the brand's YouTube channel.

According to the brand, the campaign emerged from the insight that today, youngsters in India, not only enjoy sex, but also celebrate it. Therefore, the brand decided to keep the 'post-sex feel good factor' at the heart of this campaign. The message is: Great sex 'moves' you.

Nitish Kapoor, general manager, Reckitt Benckiser India, says, "Our campaign emerges from the insight that true love and great sex, together, create a spectacular experience that deserves to be celebrated by everyone, every day. The purpose behind creating this dance move was to give people a way to physically express their joy after having great sex."

Adding to the waves the video has started creating online, is a Twitter hashtag (#DoTheRex) that has made it to the top five on the 'trending' list in India. Reckitt's Kapoor is hopeful the video will be shared by surfers in the days ahead. Well, he needn't worry. The video has already started - well, how should we put it? - 'rexing' (What? We mean moving!) on social media.

A team of artists comprising of Karan Kapadia (director), Bosco and Caesar (choreographers), Ravi Varman (cinematographer) and Mikey McCleary (music) have put this piece together. Apparently, Ranveer Singh has written the lyrics himself. And the rapper, we learn, is actually him.

Seduced?

The campaign is off to a promising start. Ex ad-man, Lakshmipathy Bhat, who is currently the director of CodeConclave, a mobile marketing firm, was among the first ones to catch the video. In a tweet, he applauds the brand for creating a film that makes great use of a celebrity.

The film, Bhat feels, doesn't look like an ad at all. "The brand has used 'storytelling' pretty well. It is bold and straightforward and is devoid of metaphors. I think it reflects the way the Indian society has grown to be and the way it has accepted these so called taboos so far. Besides, it is also about the product category and how it has become acceptable in Indian culture," he says, optimistic about the fate of the film.

In India, for reasons as varied as social stigma, religious taboos and mere ignorance, condoms haven't been talked about as much they should have. Though widely available, the penetration of condoms in India is only about five per cent.

According to a documented case study by Durex, the brand's market share as of November 2013 was four per cent. Team Durex is hopeful that Ranveer Singh's rap will do both, the brand and the category, a great service.

Kapoor says, "Sexual wellbeing, as a subject, is still taboo in our country. Through our partnership with Ranveer, who is a popular youth icon, we hope to positively engage youngsters in a discussion around the subject."

The condom category in India is currently valued at Rs 70 crore. Durex claims to be among the top five players.