A unique SOS Condoms service, which made bigger headlines in the West than in the UAE, was launched as a pilot project here by condom manufacturer Durex and creative agency Buzzman Middle East last week.
“Since it’s difficult to talk openly about sex in the Middle East, Buzzman Middle East found a new way to reach its audience and decided to turn a product into a service with SOS Condoms,” says Buzzman.
If you fancied the service, all you had to do was place an order through a geo-localised application on a smartphone or the SOS Condoms website between 4pm and 4am from anywhere in Dubai. You would get it within the hour.
The minimum order was for a dozen condoms which cost $15 (Dh55).
Promising complete privacy, the service claimed to have a “discreet and professional team” to make deliveries.
A much-publicised video explained how the condom deliveryman would arrive at your doorstep in disguise, dressed maybe as a pizza delivery man or someone asking for directions.
Save your date
The Durex app, which was available in the App Store, said: “Get condoms whenever you need them. We deliver wherever you are… Whether it’s day or night, our professional teams deliver condoms to you quickly and discreetly … SOS Condoms will save your date.”
Launched as a test in Dubai, SOS Condoms will be introduced in other cities based on the feedback received through a Facebook page vote.
Reckitt Benckiser, the UK-based company that owns the Durex brand, told XPRESS: “ The project is part of a broad initiative. It was a pilot being tested to ascertain both its compatibility and relevance. Following the completion of our assessment, the project has already ended. “
“Durex has, over the past 85 years, consistently stood for trust and sa fety, and has always strived to answer the health and wellbeing needs of the brand’s legitimate customers in a socially responsible manner,” it said.
By Sharmila Dhal
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