Safe Sex Emoji (Unofficial) Launched

To Mark World AIDS Day Durex calls for people to use and share the “Umbrella with Raindrops” emoji on social media to help raise awareness of the risks associated with unprotected sex

·         “Open Umbrella with Raindrops” emoji the top choice following a global poll¹ to find unofficial safe sex emoji in response to Unicode’s rejection of a Condom Emoji earlier this year.

·         Durex research showed that more than 75% of 16-35 year olds use emojis to discuss sex, with 9 out of 10 believing that a safe sex emoji will help people to talk more openly practicing safe sex with their partners.

·         Almost 50% of 16-35 year olds think that HIV is not something that could ever affect them despite the fact that every 30 seconds a young person is infected with HIV

·         More than 60% of young people surveyed¹ confirmed that they are uncomfortable discussing safe sex

·         The International Planned Parenthood Federation join forces with Durex on December 1^st to raise awareness of the risks of unprotected sex

Mumbai , 28^th November 2016: The World’s leading sexual wellbeing brand, Durex, have today announced “Umbrella with Raindrops” as the overwhelming choice (23.3%) in a global poll¹ to find the unofficial safe sex emoji.

Shockingly, almost half of 16-35 year olds think that HIV is not something that could ever affect them² despite the fact that every 30 seconds a young person is infected with HIV³.

Whilst more than 60% of young people surveyed¹ admitted to being uncomfortable discussing safe sex, 72% of respondants surveyed admitted they found it easier to express emotions using emojis and more than three quarters admitted that they use emojis to discuss sex and relationships. 

The unveiling of an unofficial safe sex emoji is the latest move in Durex’s ongoing #CondomEmoji campaign which calls for Unicode to put a safe sex emoji on every smartphone in the world in order to help young people communicate about safe sex more easily.  

To date, the #CondomEmoji campaign has trended on both Twitter and Facebook with supporters from over 160 countries backing the movement, and has seen high profile support on social media from global organisations including the International Planned Parenthood Association, Terrence Higgins Trust and New Zealand AIDS Foundation. Durex hopes that the popularity of the unofficial safe sex emoji will demonstrate what the 9 out of 10 surveyed confirmed; that a safe sex emoji would be a step towards empowering young people to talk about safe sex - and encourage Unicode to reconsider their decision to reject the original application.

Durex Global Category Director, Volker Sydow, said: “Until Unicode recognise the need for a Condom Emoji and reverse their decision to put a safe sex emoji on every smartphone across the globe, we must continue to  demonstrate that there is the desire for such a thing.  We believe the naming of “Umbrella with Raindrops” as the unofficial safe sex emoji will be a significant step towards helping young people put safe sex back on the agenda. We are asking people to show their support for the cause on World AIDS Day 2016 by using this unofficial safe sex emoji and the hashtag #CondomEmoji.”

The campaign has also received the support of the International Planned Parenthood Association (IPPF), with Director General Tewodros Melesse adding: “Safe sex awareness continues to be an important global challenge. We support Durex’s campaign in helping make young people think about protection. On World AIDS Day we will be backing this effort to help raise awarness of the risks associated with unprotected sex.”

Durex have created an online video as part of the campaign, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOVfn5jTm5A&feature=youtu.be

Sources:

1. 3GEM research questioning 3500 people from UK, USA, Brazil, China, India and South Africa commissioned by Durex – UK, October 2016

2. Someone Like Me, VIMN & Brand Solutions Insight with Tapestry Research, 2014

3. UNAIDS. Global Report 2010, Core Slides, Slide 11