A couple of years ago, Durex unveiled a new consumer campaign with a unique concept called ‘rexing’. It reinforced the brand’s belief that ‘great sex moves you’. The brand wanted to feature the boldest youth icon of Bollywood to strike a chord with the audience and really drive the message home. Well, any guesses on who this desirable celebrity was? Reportedly Ranveer Singh, the star personally called up Durex, and even wrote the ad himself! The actor was brought on board to promote the message of safe sex. And they’ve had a great run…
Five years after Ranveer Singh was roped in as the brand ambassador for Durex, Reckitt Benckiser (parent company) let its contract with the Bollywood actor lapse. Rumour has it they they have no plans to renew it. According to market sources, “Both agreed to part ways amicably.” Even though not too much information has been revealed behind the decision, a steep endorsement fee charged by Ranveer is a potential reason. There are speculations that Durex backed out of the contract because of Deepika Padukone. Rumours are rife that the actor’s new marital status might have had a bearing on the agency’s decision to end the association.
Source: Instagram
Keeping up with their tradition of posting sassy wedding wishes to newly-wed celebs, Durex congratulated Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone with a cheeky tweet: “We’ve got you covered. Congrats Deepika & Ranveer for officially putting a ring on it.”
Source: Twitter
Last year, Durex Condoms changed its ad routine to convey that women crave sex as much as men do. In their latest advertisement of jeans-fit condoms, Durex even featured the Made In Heaven actress Sobhita Dhulipala along with Ranveer Singh. The two of them looked so good together!
Watch the ad here:
Source: YouTube
Over the five years, Durex never let go of any opportunity to cash in on Ranveer’s publicity. When the actor wore a white onesie to Shahid Kapoor’s birthday bash, he got trolled on Twitter and was compared to a condom. Durex tweeted his picture along with a witty caption, imploring people to ‘stay safe’.
Source: Twitter
Ranveer Singh is the first mainstream Bollywood actor to endorse a condom brand. As per marketing experts, Ranveer made the condom brand hugely popular among the youth with its ‘Do The Rex’ and ‘Durex Jeans’ campaigns. Discontinuing their alliance with Ranveer might be a huge blow for Durex, but the brand has the strength to bounce back. “The condom category is a promiscuous category. It is not one hinged to the loyalty of any kind, leave alone the loyalty of its endorsers,” said Harish Bijoor, founder of a branding consultancy firm. Durex, Bijoor added, will get the next star sooner than later: “No star is indispensable to a brand. Even this shall pass on to an abler hand.”
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