When the “real” ad plays on your second screen
People watch TV with a phone in hand. Durex UK used that habit to turn a standard broadcast spot into an interactive experience. Here, the “second screen” is the phone or tablet used alongside the main TV or computer screen.
Last year, Durex UK created a new way for viewers to interact with its TV ad. Viewers who used the Durex Explore mobile app while watching the ad on their TV or computer got a steamy alternative on their second screen.
How the dual-screen mechanic worked
The mechanism was straightforward. The broadcast spot acted as the trigger, and the Durex Explore app delivered an alternative experience on the viewer’s phone or tablet.
That split matters. The TV carried the mainstream version. The second screen carried the more private, more personal layer, where the viewer could engage without turning the living room into a shared moment.
In UK brand communications, second-screen behavior is already the norm.
The real question is whether you can separate a public broadcast layer from a private opt-in layer without breaking the story.
Why it lands in real viewing contexts
This works because it respects how people actually consume media.
Extractable takeaway: If your message has a public-safe version and a private version, keep the broadcast layer mainstream and let the personal device deliver the private layer only after an explicit opt-in.
Phones are personal. TV is social. By moving the steamy content to the second screen, Durex created a “permissioned” experience. By “permissioned,” I mean nothing intimate appears unless the viewer explicitly chooses it, on their own device. Because the broadcast spot only triggers the moment and the app carries the alternative layer, the viewer can opt in privately without turning a shared room into a shared moment.
It also rewards attention. Instead of asking viewers to tolerate an ad, it gives them a reason to participate.
The business intent behind extending TV and radio through an app
The intent is to convert passive reach into active engagement, while keeping the broadcast execution broadly acceptable. This is a smart pattern when you need mass reach but the payoff has to stay private.
Then, on Valentine’s Day this year, Durex UK repeated the same idea via radio. They released a steamy radio spot that also used the Durex Explore app to provide listeners with a similar steamy video experience on their smartphone or tablet.
That is the strategic move. One app. Multiple channels. A consistent interaction model that travels across TV, computer viewing, radio, and mobile.
Second-screen tactics you can reuse
- Use the second screen for the private layer. Put the content that needs discretion on the personal device.
- Make participation optional and clear. The viewer should feel in control of switching modes.
- Design one mechanic that scales across channels. If the app is the interface, TV and radio can both become entry points.
- Reward attention with a different experience. The second-screen payoff must feel meaningfully distinct from the broadcast spot.
A few fast answers before you act
What did Durex UK do with the Explore app?
They used it to deliver an alternative, steamy second-screen experience for viewers watching a TV ad, and later for listeners hearing a radio spot.
What is the core mechanism?
A broadcast ad acts as the trigger. The mobile app provides the alternative content on a phone or tablet.
Why is second screen a good fit for this category?
Because it keeps intimate content on a personal device, while the broadcast remains suitable for shared environments.
What business goal does this support?
Turning broadcast reach into measurable engagement and creating a repeatable interaction layer that works across channels.
What is the main takeaway for marketers?
If your message has a “public” and “private” version, broadcast the public layer and let the second screen deliver the private layer by choice.
