DENTSU CREATIVE Canada team in partnership with condom brand Jems designed a candy brand named F#cking Old to start a safe sex conversation with seniors.
This provocative campaign was shortlisted for three lions at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival, including Design Lion, Health & Wellness Lion, and Creative Strategy Lion.
CHALLENGE
Senior are having more sex than ever.
Only, they’re not using protection and their STI rated are skyrocketing.
For Canadians over 65, STI rates have had an overall increase of 240%. Sadly, nobody, including their doctor, is talking to them about sex and the importance of using condoms.
Jems is a Canadian condom brand that’s dedicated to championing safer sex for all, including seniors.
And they wanted an idea that would help seniors realize that safe sex is important for them too.
The bond between grandparent and grandchild is a bridge between worlds. Grandparents are closer to being “friends” with their grandkids than their parents ever will be.
All those things your parents never let you do? They’re just fine for the grandkids. And that opens up space to talk about any topic without judgement, even the ones that feel taboo.
Jems created F#cking Old, a candy brand designed to start conversations about safer sex.
Inspired by the tradition of grandparents giving their grandkids candies, F#cking Old candies were targeted toward Gen Z so they could return the favor.
Each candy had a safe sex conversation starter on the inside wrapper for grandparents to discover with their grandchildren.
Once the ice was broken, they could explore the informational pamphlet together and open the hidden compartment which had a stash of condoms.
If You’re F#cking Old, You Better Be F#cking Safe.
Jems took a taboo topic no one was talking about and turned it into a mainstream media darling.
The campaign was covered at length in both Tier 1 and health and wellness outlets (ITV News, CBC, CTV, MSN, Yahoo and more), totaling 300+ articles in the first week alone and totaling more than 151M earned media impressions.
Beyond media attention, the campaign generated a 400% increase in online sales for Jems following its launch.
“Pick a flavor. Unwrap it. And start a conversation about wrapping it up.”
“A provocative campaign.”
“STIs don’t care how old you are.”
