Spoof ads, what can we learn from Durex Ultra Mega Thin condoms?

Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of spoof commercials and have written about them a few times. While I enjoy the ones from comedy shows, I find the “user generated” ones even more interesting and think they can teach us even more than reviewing real commercials much of the time.

Knowing my interest, a friend sent me an “advert” for Durex condoms. It was clear looking at the email string that this “campaign” had taken on a classic viral path, and had been forwarded on and on by friend to friend.

What was interesting about the advert is that it clearly is not from Durex and is a spoof or “user generated ad”. It is also quite brilliant, and like so many spoofs it can teach us marketers a lot.

You can watch the ad on youtube by clicking here or below. The ad is not rude as such as so (unless you are of a very sensitive disposition) you can watch it safely.




So what struck me about this Durex clip that I think we can learn as marketers?

Branding
The branding of Durex Ultra Mega Thin comes through loud and clear. Why is this?

The best way of ensuring strong branding is not by shouting the brand name and lots of big pack shots (in this spoof you do not even see a pack). The way you get good branding is when viewers can only tell the story of the ad by including the brand and product.

Think about how you would explain the ad to someone. You need to include both Durex and the Ultra Mega Thin variant to tell the story of the ad what is strong here is that it gets both the brand and the specific product across. In a lot of test results I have seen from major brands is that often they get the brand but not the specific product.

Communication
Very clear! The message that Durex Ultra Mega Thin gives you more felling than other condoms is completely clear. Key is there was only 1 message. It also shows the power of demos. And that representative, dramatic and engaging demos can be more clear and memorable than actual demos

Persuasion
If you are looking for sensitivity you'd head to Durex! This spoof is more persuasive than any real Durex as I have ever seen!

What do you think?