{"id":2017,"date":"2010-06-04T12:39:47","date_gmt":"2010-06-04T07:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramble.sunmatrix.com\/?p=2017"},"modified":"2026-02-26T11:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:32:52","slug":"durex-baby-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/durex-baby-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Durex: Baby App"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Making the consequence tangible, not the lecture louder<\/h2>\n<p>In consumer health marketing, the hardest problems are rarely about information. They are about motivation in the moment. This Durex idea is a clean example of turning a behavior barrier into an experience.<\/p>\n<p>Condoms can feel like a downer. So how do you convince guys to put one on, and make Durex the favored choice?<\/p>\n<p>This is the right move when information is not the problem. Make the consequence tangible, not the lecture louder.<\/p>\n<p>Using the iPhone, Nicolai Villads, Peter Ammentorp and Raul Montenegro created what is called the <strong>Durex Baby<\/strong> application for the iPhone.<\/p>\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_xEoqWuN1_8?fs=1&#038;playsinline=1\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"fullscreen; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h2>How the Durex Baby app worked as a behavioral nudge<\/h2>\n<p>The mechanism was simple. If the barrier is that protection feels like a mood killer, shift attention to what happens without it.<\/p>\n<p>The app simulated the realities of having a baby, using the phone as a constant companion device. It turned an abstract risk into a persistent, personal experience that could be felt rather than explained. Because the phone stays close, the simulation can interrupt everyday moments, which is why it lands as a nudge instead of a lecture.<\/p>\n<p>In consumer health marketing, consequence simulation works best when the audience already knows the facts but needs a visceral prompt.<\/p>\n<p>The real question is how you make \u201cresponsible\u201d feel like the easiest choice in the moment.<\/p>\n<h2>Why simulation can change decisions faster than persuasion<\/h2>\n<p>Most messaging about safe sex competes with optimism bias, the tendency to assume consequences happen to someone else. A simulation reduces that distance by making \u201clater\u201d feel like \u201cnow,\u201d reframing the trade-off from short-term inconvenience to long-term responsibility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extractable takeaway:<\/strong> When persuasion stalls, build a simulation that collapses time and personal distance so the audience feels the outcome and re-evaluates the trade-off on their own.<\/p>\n<h2>The intent behind building it for Future Lions<\/h2>\n<p>The app was created for the <strong>Future Lions 2010<\/strong> competition organized by digital agency AKQA and the Cannes Lions Advertising festival.<\/p>\n<p>The business intent is clear. Use mobile to translate a sensitive topic into a playful but pointed interaction that can travel socially and be discussed without heavy moralizing, while keeping the brand associated with the responsible choice.<\/p>\n<h2>What to borrow from Durex Baby<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Turn abstract risk into felt experience.<\/strong> Simulation can outperform warnings when the audience tunes out lectures.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use the device people always carry.<\/strong> Mobile is effective when the behavior change depends on everyday moments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reframe the trade-off.<\/strong> Move attention from short-term friction to long-term consequence in a way people can grasp instantly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make it discussable.<\/strong> Playful interaction can open conversation on topics people avoid in direct language.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>A few fast answers before you act<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the Durex Baby app?<\/h3>\n<p>An iPhone app concept that simulates the realities of having a baby to encourage safer choices and reduce resistance to using condoms.<\/p>\n<h3>What was the core mechanism?<\/h3>\n<p>Behavioral reframing through simulation. The phone delivers an ongoing experience that makes the consequence of not using protection feel immediate.<\/p>\n<h3>Why does this approach work better than a warning for some audiences?<\/h3>\n<p>Because it reduces optimism bias. People are more likely to change behavior when the consequence feels personal and present, not distant and theoretical.<\/p>\n<h3>What business goal does it serve for Durex?<\/h3>\n<p>Positioning the brand as the responsible default choice by shifting the decision from mood-based resistance to consequence-based clarity.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the main takeaway for marketers?<\/h3>\n<p>If persuasion is failing, design an experience that makes the outcome feel real, then let the audience reach the conclusion themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Making the consequence tangible, not the lecture louder In consumer health marketing, the hardest problems are rarely about information. They are about motivation in the moment. This Durex idea is a clean example of turning a behavior barrier into an experience. Condoms can feel like a downer. So how do you convince guys to put &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/durex-baby-app\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Durex: Baby App<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Durex reframed condom reluctance with an iPhone app that simulates the realities of having a baby, nudging safer choices through experience.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"iawp_total_views":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,13],"tags":[199,25,28,7408,7270,2659,878,1463,7175,75,2651,7427,15,1721,6838,875,876,877,79],"class_list":["post-2017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing-strategies","category-mobile","tag-akqa","tag-apple","tag-apps","tag-awareness-campaign","tag-behavioral-change","tag-cannes-lions","tag-cannes-lions-advertising-festival","tag-condom","tag-digital-campaign","tag-digital-marketing","tag-durex","tag-future-lions","tag-iphone","tag-iphone-app","tag-mobile-marketing","tag-nicolai-villads","tag-peter-ammentorp","tag-raul-montenegro","tag-virals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-content\/uploads\/durex_baby.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgYpE1-wx","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2017"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16158,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017\/revisions\/16158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunmatrix.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}