In a conservative Middle Eastern society, Durex has no access to normalizing conversations around sex and sexuality or voicing their brand ethos, as condoms are not allowed to be advertised or displayed across most media channels. Similarly, Arabic hip hop which aligns with the brand’s ethos of self-expression was facing repression and lack of exposure across the music scene.

To reach out to the Arab youth, it was necessary to break through the barriers and position Durex as a Power brand, transitioning from a contraceptive brand to an iconic lifestyle. True to our brand ethos, Durex wanted to be that voice of the artists who were marginalized and was an echo of our brand positioning of not being able to have the freedom to express oneself. Our objective was to provide a platform where musicians can express their true self to the 20 million Arab speaking youth in the region.

In a region were hip hop ranks as the 3rd most popular genre, Arabic hip-hop is practically non-existent with 70% of the music listened being international artists. Arab hip-hop artists had no platforms for self-expression.

‘Tasjeelat Durex’ (Arabic), ‘Durex Records’ (English) was created to provide a platform for regional musicians belonging to the Arabic hip-hop movement to promote their music using various social media platforms as well as live concerts. A studio setting was created where interviews and performances were recorded and amplified.

Durex Records brand message primarily focuses on unleashing one’s true self, while pushing the boundaries of self-expression and empowerment. The alignment with Arabic hip hop played a vital role in placing Durex at the center of stimulating conversations that revolve around culture, identity, and music. This was reflected in the choice of artists who are driving forward progressive ideologies and communicating their minds through music.

Durex created a customized music studio as a platform to bring together the top regional Arab hip-hop musicians to perform & promote their music to the Arab youth. To amplify our movement, we had to establish our platform with strong regional media partners who reflect our audience’s values, such as VICE Arabia, and Anghami - the region’s biggest music streaming platform.

In partnership with VICE Arabia, we had created the first ever hip-hop music series for the Arab youth and amplified it across key social media platforms in the region, whose penetration rates of over 90% provided the connection to our target audience.

The campaign started with a teaser during the pre-launch phase aiming to drive curiosity and excitement. During the launch phase, Durex aimed at maximizing awareness and enabling accessibility to full content as well as driving engagement by leveraging 3 main musicians using interviews and trailers.

Through VICE Arabia, we produced engaging videos focused on introducing our musicians and growing their footprint through interviews, live recordings and a live event in Dubai. Anghami helped spread their music to listeners through a curated Durex Records playlist.

The content was amplified through YouTube, Facebook & Instagram, and a PR campaign across Forbes, Campaign Middle East, Timeout Dubai & Lovin’ (Dubai, Saudi and Riyadh).

Being a culturally taboo topic and product category, we cautiously introduced the platform with a pre-launch phase using 6 second videos; airing between 2:00 am- 6:00 am. The activity targeted an audience who were interested in music, dating, & live events, while excluding sensitive interest categories.

One month into the campaign, due to the high interaction and positive sentiment on YouTube reaching 70%+, we launched a YouTube masthead and extended online placements for an additional 6weeks driving traffic & engagement, supported by influencer outreach.

In a region were only pop music existed, but not reflective of the realities people live, and where local musicians had been marginalized forming less than 40% of listenership, Durex was able to promote a movement towards Arabic hip-hop and create a platform of self-expression for the youth.

-20 Million users reached across the campaign, with over 16 million video views and a VTR of 43% (+8% over benchmark).

-Durex Records was among the top search queries on YouTube having 73% positive sentiment.

-Durex Records Arabic Hip Hop playlist hit the #1 playlist within 10 days of launch and maintained at #2.

-Arabic hip hop saw a 125% growth in listenership during Q1 2022 VS Q1 2021.

-Posts by artists on their social channels received an average +217% increase in engagement rate vs. their other content.

-429 attendees to the live event held in Dubai.