Promoting a product like Viagra in the Arab world will face this challenge says JWT Kuwait, “In the male-ego driven Arab world, sexual impotence is a very serious issue. And due to cultural and religious restraints, you can’t show any sexual content.”
Viagra is a well-known male erectile dysfunction healing drug, the product gained a huge awareness across the world, people are mixing the brand name with the drug itself, but when it comes to the Arab world things are different, there are many restrictions that such products will face.
The approach should be different; while advertising you should play around it and try to deliver the message in such a smart-indirect way to avoid criticism and rejection.
This idea for a giveaway by JWT Kuwait is based on symbolizing male’s potency using a simple branded hand-break badge that will ring the bells and explain the effect of Viagra.
This idea combines with the main concept of the roundabout approach, a collection of TV commercials were aired earlier on few Arabic TV stations featuring the Viagra-effect, in one of these commercials a guy fails to infiltrate a straw through a drinking cup but finally succeed with a blue one (blue is the color of Viagra) and the message clearly says “its all about rigidity”.
It’s tricky to promote sexual related products in a conservative culture. It is totally based on consumer’s imagination and the ability to quickly absorb the main idea of the advertisement, otherwise advertisers will have to dare for more bold ideas and become shameless to sell their products.
for a product as popular as viagra…for a condition that is self-explanatory…
do they even really need to advertise for it?
it’s like to sell food to the hungry
I believe they needed it, first to break the ice with the males-consumers since it is related to their main functions as males, they needed to encourage them trying to show that it will lift your sex experience, don’t remain helpless in the bed room… etc
But now I guess it one of the most recognized brands in the world.