Youthography has Durex Canada covered.
The Toronto-based agency has again been named the condom company’s agency of record following a competitive review against three U.S.-based agencies.
Durex briefly considered consolidating its advertising efforts under a single North American campaign. However, its Play Range line of lubricants and personal devices have a strong market position in Canada, so the company opted to hold a review for its Canadian market last month, said Steve Mare, senior brand manager for Durex.
Youthography, the only Canadian agency in the pitch, presented background research, category insights and a couple of potential creative directions against Fort Franklin, Fitzgerald and Company, and Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness in New York.
Saatchi and Saatchi Wellness now spearheads the company’s U.S. advertising.
Youthography first won the account from MacLaren McCann in 2008. According to Mare, the company’s dollar share trends “have moved in a positive direction” since the agency launched its first Durex campaign last year.
“We feel like [Youthography] brings a lot of insight to their creative work, because beyond the standard advertising, they also do quite a bit of consumer research, and as a result they have a very nice opportunity to take key learnings from our target demographics and then apply them to the creative process,” said Mare.
To introduce Durex’s new Avanti Bare line this June, Youthography will evolve the “Heroes” campaign that positions the condom as the sexual wellbeing brand that can “bring out the sexual superhero in all of us.”
The effort will include print, out-of-home and online ads.
“Furthering our partnership with a client that allows us the opportunity to create ground breaking work is really important to us,” said Max Valiquette, president and CEO, Y Syndicate, the collective to which Youthography belongs. “This represents the culmination of the work our team has done with Durex over the past year, and is a great commitment to moving forward together.”
