Tulipán has been talking about safe sex in Argentina for almost four decades and has now decided to address a problem that begins before using a condom: the desire to have sexual relations and the difficulties in putting them into practice. The condom brand has launched “Ganas de Cog*r”, its first perfume, as part of a campaign developed together with Zurda Agency about desire and new ways of relating.
The initiative is based on an apparent contradiction between the presence of sex in the conversation and its practice among the younger generations. Tulipán, which has nearly 40% of the Argentine condom market according to data provided by the company, had begun to prepare the ground for the launch coinciding with Student Day and the beginning of spring, a particularly relevant date in its communication calendar.
It has been developed around attributes related to confidence and seduction
First he released a statement in which he acknowledged that “We no longer know what to do” for young people to have sex. The conversation continued on Instagram, where the brand archived its posts and replaced its bio with another message: “We no longer know how to make them fuck.”
The answer now comes in the form of an unexpected product for a condom brand. “Ganas de Cog*r” is a sweet, unisex and limited edition fragrance that will be available through Tulipán channels. The brand describes it as warm, magnetic and subtly provocative, and has developed it around attributes related to confidence and seduction.
Thus, the perfume combines saffron and jasmine in the top notes; Amberwood, ambergris and Hedione in the heart; and spruce resin, cedar, sugar, ambroxan and oakmoss in the background.
But the product primarily functions as a vehicle for a larger conversation. To analyze the sexual habits of Argentines, Tulipán has developed together with Trendsity and QuestionPro the Hot Index, a study that addresses issues such as desire, satisfaction, frequency of relationships, ties, economic situation and daily circumstances that affect intimacy.
The results point to a difference between the sex that people have and the one they would like to have. Only half of Argentines had sexual relations during the last three months, while more than half say they would like to have a more active sexual life. 30% would like to have sex every day and another 32% several times a week.
A third of young Argentines consider that sex is overrated
The data is especially significant among young people. According to the study, one in four Argentines between 18 and 29 years old did not have sex in the last year and a third consider that sex is overrated. And this despite the fact that the youngest generations began their sexual lives, on average, four years earlier than the previous ones. The report also places the so-called “golden age” of sex between the ages of 45 and 55, rather than among younger age groups.
Tulipán relates this situation to a context in which the possibilities of contact have multiplied, while transferring these relationships to the physical field can be more complex. The Hot Index indicates that among young people between 16 and 24 years old, factors such as anxiety, frustration, last-minute cancellations and difficulties in moving from screens to face-to-face meetings appear.
Stress, lack of time, parenting, coexistence, economic situation, mental health and new relationship dynamics also appear among the elements that condition intimacy. And it is precisely this reality that Zurda Agency has used to rethink the traditional territory of a condom brand.
“All the condom brands in the world sell protection against consequences. We had to sell protection against indifference, which is a much rarer brief”explains Diego Gueler Montero, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Zurda. The creative points out that behind the humor of the proposal there is a real concern: “This is the generation that talks the most about sex and has the least sex in all of history. We set up the campaign so that each one reaches only that fact, after finishing laughing.”
The campaign also includes a fictional documentary that transfers the study data to different situations and characters. The piece addresses through humor that distance between wanting to have sexual relations and finally having them happen.
The rollout is completed with streaming activations, collaborations with influencers and experiences related to the fragrance. In this way, Tulipán uses a product launch far from its usual category to expand its communication territory and, after decades focused on how to practice sex safely, the brand now focuses on why it is increasingly difficult to have it.
“Can a perfume make you want to fuck? We can’t promise it, but we can put this issue on the Argentinians’ agenda.”says Victoria Kopelowicz, Director of Tulipán. The person in charge explains that the objective is to use it to have fun, start conversations, break barriers and facilitate that first approach between people.
