A Swedish digital marketing campaign set out to challenge the idea that condoms ruin the moment. Its approach reframed safe sex as something enjoyable, social, and worth talking about.
Creative Concept
A mobile app that tracked pleasure-related metrics during sex through a “Sex Profile,” including duration, rhythm, and volume.
Message
Condoms and safe sex can be fun.
Objective
The goal was to educate people about proper condom use and challenge the perception that condoms are inconvenient or kill the mood.
The Challenge
The campaign focused on 20- to 30-year-olds in Stockholm, Sweden. According to LAFA, the Stockholm County AIDS Prevention Program, young people were becoming less consistent about using condoms, contributing to an increase in HIV infections. Although case numbers remained low, the issue required action. Research identified a key barrier: many people viewed condoms as awkward and inconvenient. LAFA, a non-profit organization, aimed to overturn that assumption by showing that condoms and safe sex could be enjoyable.
How the Campaign Addressed the Challenge
The campaign distributed 50,000 free condoms in parks, at fairs and concerts, and in cafés and bars—places where young people regularly gathered. Since smartphones were already widely used by the target audience, the condom wrappers featured QR codes linked to a website that encouraged people to download the mobile app, “The Sex Profile.”
Users activated “The Sex Profile” before sex and left it running during the experience. The app first reminded them to use a condom, then recorded pleasure-related metrics, including volume, duration, rhythm, and location.
Afterward, users could upload their “bedroom performance” charts to the campaign website. They added details such as age, hair color, and mood to create an anonymous profile. LAFA aggregated, compared, and averaged the data, then turned it into banners, outdoor posters, bulletin boards, and T-shirts for campaign volunteers across the city. Users could also browse “sex charts” for people with similar or different interests and moods—for example, jazz fans versus rock listeners, dog owners versus cat owners, or blondes versus brunettes. The intention was to encourage conversations about condoms and healthy sexuality among young people.
Website interface showing a “bedroom performance” chart
Results
The campaign’s most creative—and viral—element was the way agency Ester used the data collected through the app.
Ester shared the findings on billboards and advertising boards throughout Stockholm. Playful data points told residents, for example, how many people nearby had used condoms in the previous week, that dog owners were louder in bed than cat owners, or that brunettes had recently become less “active.” These lighthearted observations sparked curiosity, drove people to the website, and encouraged conversations about safe sex across the wider community—not just among young people.
According to LAFA, the campaign supported safer sexual practices among young people through progressive education and helped reduce embarrassment around a sensitive subject. Since launching in 2011, it collected 5,900 “Sex Profile” reports. A follow-up survey found that 39% of young people in Stockholm had a more positive view of condoms than before.
Marketing Lessons
Mobile marketing can be an effective way to reach younger audiences.
Humor and a genuine understanding of the audience can make difficult subjects easier to discuss.
Profile data can be a valuable marketing resource, and mobile marketing can extend beyond the app itself.
Non-profit organizations can create breakthrough campaigns.