Sex is a subject that is rife with societal taboos. People feel awkward and embarrassed talking about it, brands often don’t accurately reflect it, and media rules and regulations monitor which narratives around it can be advertised.

To subvert these often outdated media restrictions, Durex’s latest campaign shows billboards decrying the inability to talk about ‘normal’ sex in 2020, challenging societal attitudes and misconceptions about anal sex. The vast majority of media owners explicitly forbid any reference to it in advertising.

Instead, the billboard guides people towards Durex’s online hub which aims to educate people around anal sex. Created by Havas London with earned media from One Green Bean, the campaign is a continuation of Durex’s positioning around dismantling sexual taboos and long-held misconceptions.

As part of the campaign, Durex also identified a missing chapter from the Kama Sutra. Despite being recognised as one of the most comprehensive guides to sex and intimacy, it includes little positive references to anal sex.

So, Durex worked with French sex expert Maïa Mazaurette to publish ‘The Forgotten Chapter’ of the Kama Sutra, showcasing the potential of anal sex for shared pleasure and intimacy. The chapter was illustrated by Shreya Gulati with the manuscript exhibited in Paris and subsequently uploaded online as a digital resource.

Oriane Kowalczyk, Marketing Director of RB Health France, Belgium & the Netherlands says: “Anal sex has been under-represented in the mainstream for far too long. So often our pre-conceptions are based on outdated cultural references as well as clichés, and the reality today is that a quarter of couples are having anal sex or want to explore it. Those couples deserve the right education, knowledge and products to make shared pleasure possible. Yet, we can’t talk about it. We hope this is the first step in encouraging a more open conversation and a world of uncensored sex for all.”

Durex’s new campaign is a powerful example of advertising which is determined to change the narrative, to dismantle outdated and often incorrect misconceptions and stigmas around sex, and to also highlight the shift that is needed in media regulation. It aims to empower its audience through education and through a little bit of subversive marketing.