
Durex rolls out condom app and delivery service - jwoah12
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-durex-sos-condoms-20130201,0,1721302.story
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citricsquid
So at first I thought this was a joke, a social commentary on the insane sex
laws in Dubai (out of marriage sex = prison and deportation) but then the
order process _seems_ to work, it let me as far as the "confirm order" button
(didn't click because of fake address) and there seems to be no hint of a joke
anywhere _unless_ you're already aware of the sex laws in dubai, which most
people aren't?

Put me out of my misery, is this a joke? If it's just marketing ("lol a condom
delivery app!") why is the article here reporting it as fact, or are they in
on the joke to. I'm so confused.

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morganb180
It's probably both. It probably actually works and there is a delivery service
to coordinate Dubai deliveries of this, but the city choice, the video and the
PR outreach around it definitely feel like a guerrilla marketing effort to me.
I'd be interested to see how long the app actually works for. My bet is it's
quietly shuttered in Dubai after 3 to 6 months.

It's pretty easy to see a strategy that says after the initial worldwide buzz
of a Dubai launch dies down that the app quietly shuts down after 3 to 6
months and then launches in Vegas, Bangkok, UK, etc. to drive local buzz
there.

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tommorris
Nearly every gay bar in London have a big perspex box on the counter with free
condoms. And nice do-gooder types from AIDS prevention charities who wander
around giving out condoms.

Given the multitude of health and social problems that not using condoms
brings to people gay and straight, I'd suggest it's high time that they start
doing this in more (non-gay) bars and nightclubs.

For the cost of a small piece of rubber, society can reduce unwanted
pregnancies, expensive abortions (20¢ for a bulk-purchase condom vs. hundreds
of dollars for terminations), HIV transmission and all sorts of other sexually
transmitted diseases.

As preventative public health measures go, providing condoms free in bars and
nightclubs seems like a sensible strategy.

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jiggy2011
If you start just handing out condoms to drunk people 90% of them are going to
be used for purposes other than their intended one.

Condoms are available for free at most health clinics.

I would guess that in most cases they are not used because they make sex less
fun rather than because they are unavailable.

~~~
stcredzero
_> If you start just handing out condoms to drunk people 90% of them are going
to be used for purposes other than their intended one._

Yes, but they're not that expensive to buy in bulk.

 _> I would guess that in most cases they are not used because they make sex
less fun rather than because they are unavailable._

There are times when you just don't have one. My ex was a bit paranoid and
would never have sex without a condom, so less fun was a non-issue. You can't
safely store a condom next to your body, so keeping one in your pocket is sub-
optimal. You can't leave them in your car for the same reasons. You can keep
them stocked at home, but sometimes you end up at "her place" and maybe she
ran out or you forgot to bring more over. Sometimes you go on a weekend trip
and forget to pack them, but only discover this at midnight. Sometimes stuff
happens, and in that moment, people will pay a lot to have one.

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argumentum
_The company says its couriers are discreet and will show up dressed as either
a pizza man, a police officer or a tourist so as to not draw attention from
neighbors or passers-by._

Sure, having police officers show up at night won't draw any attention
whatsoever.

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Jun8
Fantastic! And, if you're in the mood, you can invite the pizza man to join in
too, as is usually the case in the movies.

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bitops
Potentially political point: will the service deliver to people under 18?
Arguably those are the folks most likely to benefit from this service.

I'm aware that what I'm saying isn't universally accepted, so disclaimer: yes,
it is my personal opinion that it's fine for underage kids to have sex as long
as they use protection.

~~~
freehunter
At least in the US, you don't need to be 18 to buy condoms. A 5 year old could
walk in and buy some. This is by design.

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MrFoof
If this is real, it certainly answers the "how could this app get someone
laid" question rather well.

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badgar
If all you had to do to get laid was obtain condoms my high school years
would've gone quite differently

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dllthomas
Just because there are circumstances where presence of a condom makes the
difference doesn't mean it does so in every case; the app would still get some
people laid (and keep other people safer).

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gonzo
"necessary but not sufficient"

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dllthomas
That's what people's behavior _should_ be, when they are having sex outside a
long-term, tested, monogamous relationship... It doesn't translate perfectly
into reality.

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stcredzero
That's the opposite of what rational behavior should be. Always condoms until
the 6th month of a relationship, then without only after test results come
back.

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dllthomas
That sounds like what I said, though I didn't spell out specific parameters on
what was meant by "long-term, tested, monogamous relationship".

If one is going to be having sex outside of such a relationship (by which I
had meant "when one is not in such a relationship" although I suppose it would
apply to cheating too), one should be wearing condoms, yes? That's the part I
was talking about, and I don't see how it's the opposite of what people should
be doing.

~~~
stcredzero
Sorry, I misread your comment in the opposite sense.

~~~
dllthomas
Ah, no worries - was just confused :-P

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icaito
I have been to Dubai a total of eight times since 1997. My last stay there was
in '09, which lasted nearly 8 months.

It is not a place that is easy to navigate by any measure, regardless of the
hour. Durex has their job cut out for them. The streets of Sharadiya, for
example, are not a place where I would enjoy to be doing deliveries at 2am.
Granted, other cities (London, Vegas, Phuket, Barcelona) will have different
behavioral mechanics for this sort of business, but that misses the mark
altogether.

The main point is this: a shift in paradigm is what's needed regarding sexual
health and protection. Seeing condoms as something that people will wait for
(for up to 1 hour, no less) before they engage in sex is a catastrophic bag of
fail.

The whole point of prevention is —well— being prepared, ahead of time, on the
ready.

A monthly condom delivery service like Mexico's <http://rubberit.co> is
something I can see growing on better footing. It's sustainable in that it
retains clientele through membership, it is discreet in that it allows the
user to place any name as the sender, and it is also socially engaging because
for every condom they sell they donate another one to rural and disadvantaged
communities.

I mean, good luck to Durex. Their promo is bad ass. But I can see their
project folding by mid-year. (Sorry for the long rant.)

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ctruman
This is hilarious. The product video is awesome. If only it was actually
possible to have a service where police officers brought you condoms.

~~~
stcredzero
Quadcopter drones are a possibility.

~~~
georgemcbay
<http://www.rubberrotor.com>

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ctruman
someone better jump on that domain

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jordanthoms
There was a hoax around delivering burritos (IIRC) by quadrotor a while ago -
Was very disappointing, it'd be an awesome business!

~~~
stcredzero
Condoms are a lot lighter. Seems like such a business could achieve high
margins for rush delivery.

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yogo
I know it's only a commercial (maybe for the superbowl even), but tourists
walking around at night with a map eh? Even in some very decent neighborhoods
I think that screams "mug me" lol.

A great way for the condom delivery guy to approach the customer would be to
pretend to be a friend you were hanging out with early that's returning
something you forgot at a bar :)

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septerr
A monthly mail delivery would be better, no? I had thought of this and when I
researched I think I found something like that i.e. monthly condom delivery
already exists and did not think about it any more. Btw, a yearly delivery of
new underwear and undershirts for men would be another thing that is needed if
it doesn't already exist.

[EDIT: fixed an embarrassing typo]

~~~
cdcarter
Check out manpacks.com for men's shirts, underwear, and sock packages. I think
they also have razors too, but I am fully satisfied with Dollar Shave Club for
those.

~~~
cschep
They actually do condoms as well. Great service.

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bvanderveen
They say that they are discreet and appreciate my privacy, but do they take
Bitcoin?

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alex_g
Not too sure this will be all that convenient, but the commercial was
amazingly well done!

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maycupcake
The only thing PIZZA and SEX have in common is that you want to get to 'em
when they're still hot.

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stcredzero
Sometimes cold pizza can be good. Sometimes cold sex can be too, it's just not
as likely.

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gcatalfamo
yes, because a police officer knocking at your house is so discreet...

