Durex: Smartphones are Killing Your Sex Life

Durex suggests that smartphones are distracting couples from focusing on their sex lives.

Sometimes no technology is the best technology of all. That’s the message in Durex’s “#Connect” video ad, in which couples are introduced to a new electronic development that could improve their sex lives. The excited lovers wait to find out about the new smartphone app that will spice up the bedroom – only to find out it’s the ‘off’ button.

The spot is quite effective, as it conveys the very real message of social media’s effect on interpersonal relationships. Today most people wake up and check their phones and they refresh their apps one last time before bed, and thats just how it goes. Your partner is often put on the back burner when your mobile device is fully charged. Durex keeps the ad light and funny enough to hold viewers’ attention for the nearly four-minute runtime.

The dialogue is witty and well-delivered, producing several memorable lines. (“You’re kind of cheating on me with Twitter,” “I’m sorry I neglected you for Ebay” and “I bring Facebook to bed with me” are among the highlights.) I also appreciated the diverse casting. Not everyone is a straight white person, and advertisers are always smart to acknowledge that.

The only misfire in the ad is the ending, which gets a bit too lovey-dovey for its own good. The tone of the video has the same tongue-in-cheek vibe the entire time, until the last 30 seconds. The spots gets a bit sappy when we are forced watch the couples gaze into each other’s eyes and/or break down crying.

The Durex’s #Connect campaign is a hit. The video has nearly 40 million views and more than 1,500 comments on YouTube. Clearly, Durex has struck a societal nerve.

While is Durex is changing the way people use tech in the bedroom, Veloxity’s cell phone charging stations are available to keep smartphones and other devices charged up for moments after what goes in the bedroom.