x Close
  • Case Study: Durex “Get It On”

    Filed Under: Why Design   Tags: branding
    Recommend (0)
    Client Durex
    Project Title “Get It On” (aka “Balloon Animals”)
    Duration September 2008–February 2009
    Team

    Fitzgerald+CO, based in Atlanta, created “Get It On” for Durex. For online and TV we worked with production company Superfad in New York. Our team was comprised of:

    Fitzgerald+CO:
    • Jerry Williams associate creative director/copywriter
    • Fernando Lecca associate creative director/art director/designer
    • Christine Sigety broadcast production manager
    • Eddie Snyder chief creative officer
    Superfad (New York):
    • Geraint Owen executive producer
    • Rob Rugan creative director
    • Andrew Stubbs Johnston art director
    • Mike Wharton director of animation, lighting
    • Dave Thomlison CG animator
    • Domel Libid modelling
    • Adrian Winter compositor
    • Mike Tockman producer
    Gramercy Post:
    • Joe Mendelson senior sound designer
    • Joel Raabe sound designer
    Description

    Assignment and goal

    The agency was asked to create a poster, online and TV campaign to remind young adults to use condoms, without being intimidating or clinical. Using the creative strategy “Have fun, but be safe,” we needed to design posters to hang in college health clinics and produce a 30-second TV/video spot to promote the product online as well as on select cable TV channels with a gay male audience. Our target demographic was males 18–24.

    Methodology

    Rather than using the typical romantic couples or scantily clad girls and skinny hipster guys, we opted to use the real product in a tongue-in-cheek, fun way. It's the first condom campaign that actually features the product as hero. It is also the first time a condom has established a brand personality.

    Challenges

    For the posters, balloon animals were made with actual condoms. As it turned out, inflated condoms are not the easiest props to shape. Having a professional magician—one who makes balloon animals—assisting with numerous props turned out to be the wisest decision of the shoot. The layered files from the posters were sent to Superfad, who used them as a reference for their CGI.

    Results

    We couldn't be happier with the overall impact and exposure the print and especially the TV component have generated. Without a doubt, this :30 spot has been the most successful piece of communication in the history of Durex global advertising.

    The spot reached ten thousand viewers online the first day it hit YouTube in February. Within a week we had a few hundred thousand more. Today, it has passed 12 million viewers worldwide and growing. It has also done well at the major award shows. A 2009 Lion winner at Cannes in the viral category, these irreverent characters have also won awards at the One Show, Clios, D&AD, Art Directors Club of New York and swept four categories in AICP, including the coveted “Humor” category.

    “Get It On” has been included in the AICP show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in the global ACT Responsible exhibit of the best social responsibility advertising in the world.

    Beyond the results

    For the team at Fitzgerald+CO, “Get It On” has reinforced the notion that when you have fun working on a project, it shows through in the final product. It also proves the power of a simple, singular concept. Having such a simple idea meant the online and TV seemed to write itself. And since the concept engages consumers through visuals that translate universally, it's ideal for global use.

    Editor's note: The case study above was written at AIGA's request and coordinated by Sarah Zimmerman. Please contact the editor if you would also like to provide a case study.

    HTML 5 accessible player with share button. This is the player we use on AIGA.org.
    Recommend No one has recommended this yet
    AIGA encourages thoughtful, responsible discourse. Please add comments judiciously, and refrain from maligning any individual, institution or body of work. Read our policy on commenting.
  • From The Archives

    Centric Launch Package

  • Join the Dialogue
  • Why Design

    External Resources

    • Sports And Analytics: Innovate With Design Thinking
      www.forbes.com/s…
    • Does your startup need a designer co-founder?
      Enrique Allen runs down the characteristics of designer founders, scenarios where design is particularly important, and how to spot designer founders in the wild.
      www.designstaff.…
    • An Important Time for Design
      Cameron Koczon calls on designers: "We have a new purpose: elevate design and help change the world. Let’s talk about how to do that."
      www.alistapart.c…
    • Students Give Kimberly-Clark a Lesson in Design Thinking
      Inspiring read about RISD students who identified sustainable new concepts and scalable designs for the excessive waste produced by the most widely used sterilization wrap on the market.
      www.greenbiz.com…
  • Featured Portfolio

    Wooden Heart

    Jenna Fucci

  • Featured Portfolio

    BioMedix Sell Sheet System

    Amber Szerpicki

  • External Resources (cont.)

    • Return on Influence, the New ROI
      Amy Jo Martin on measuring the "warm metrics" of social media — including engagement levels, viral factors and sentiment analysis.
      blogs.hbr.org/cs…
    • To Win, Integrate Design And Business
      In this excerpt from "The Method Method," founders of the design- and eco-friendly brand explain the value of having creative leadership at the highest ranks of business.
      www.good.is/post…
    • Designers Are The New Drivers Of American Entrepreneurialism
      Bruce Nussbaum: the "growing desire among designers to bring their user focus, strategic vision, iterative methodologies, and propositional thinking to the still-geeky, tech/engineering-centric world of startups promises to be transformative and explosive."
      www.fastcodesign…
    • How Starbucks Transformed Coffee From A Commodity Into A $4 Splurge | Fast Company
      An interview with Stanley Hainsworth, whose creative vision for Starbucks steered the brand to becoming a cultural icon.
      www.fastcompany.…
  • From The Archives

    Slice of Summer

  • Have some inspiration to share?
  • From The Archives

    Moomah