Condom makers shift focus on to sexual benefits

HONG KONG: Whitehall and InTouch have shifted from the traditional

way condoms are marketed in Hong Kong, moving the focus away from safety

to sexual benefits of using their brand.

Bates Advertising, which created the joint campaign for the two

companies' launch of their latest lines of condoms, resurrected the

"Swordman", who appeared in the original ad in 1998. Using the euphemism

of a sword, Bates turned to cartoon-style animation, with the sword as

"a Chinese analogy for the male sex organ and the sheath as the perfect

analogy for the condom".

The new sheer and beaded condoms have been promoted for their

"sensational sensitivity".