On 1 December, World AIDS Day, Manforce Condoms launched an important campaign spreading awareness about asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus or HIV — when the patient suffers from no symptoms but carries the virus and can spread it.
Other than Nirodh, most condom marketing in India is built around pleasure. But it is equally essential to be aware of the many benefits of using a condom — prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is a distant secondary thought for those who see condoms as a pregnancy prevention tool.
Manforce tells us that it has pledged to provide nutritional support to HIV-positive pregnant women, but its advertising is focused more on asymptomatic HIV. This shows disconnect. Manforce is confused about what it wants to market in the first place — an awareness campaign or a corporate social responsibility campaign?
The budget has also been kept at the lower end of the spectrum. While the tie-up with Instagram sexual wellness educator Seema Anand is tactical and intelligent, the YouTube video is lacklustre. The campaign has been called a ‘social experiment’, with Manforce executives having gone around Delhi and asked people if they think they have HIV. Even if they did this exercise truthfully, I can’t imagine anyone answering “yes” to this question. The production quality of the ad is evidently low. The sound is particularly poor — dialogues are incoherent as voices are tearing up.
2020 campaign
It is natural for condom brands to join campaigns that spread awareness about HIV/AIDS and how to practise safe sex and prevent STIs and STDs.
Manforce’s 2020 campaign was superior compared to this year’s. It was titled #StandTogether and projected Manforce as the industry’s leader in a rather charitable fashion. “What’s in a name?” – asked the brand in a 10-second stock video. “Use a condom, be it any,” it said, a clever way of building brand goodwill.
The previous ad wasn’t an expensive business either. But its simplicity is what helped the brand. This time, though, it has fallen short of its goals.
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