The Loveville project is a challenge between 15 major Italian cities, aimed at proclaiming the city that makes love the most.

The project was launched through a viral video, a print and radio campaign, guerrilla activities, a website, and PR.

For two months, Durex compared the number of condoms, lubes, and sex-toys sold in every city, with its population. Then the title of Loveville 2013 was given to the city that used these products the most, and was celebrated with an unforgettable party.

The strategy centered around the pride that Italians feel about their Latin lovers reputation, and their competitive nature, especially between cities/regions.

The objective was to increase sales and celebrate Durex as the market leader and promoter of safe and fun sex.

The results exceeded all expectations: up to +46% increase in sales in the cities involved and over 70 million earned media impressions.

PR: relying on the strength of the idea, and quite a limited media investment, the project captured the attention of the country for two months. It secured constant media coverage in every phase of the project: the launch, the actual competition, and the final announcement of the winning city.

In a country where, still today, the traditions of Catholicism limit significantly the talk of sex on mass media, Loveville opened a window for Durex to promote its exciting and fun view of sex. It reached a level of awareness and discussion that no traditional adv campaign would have been able to obtain.

Thanks to Loveville and for the first time ever, the rivalry between Italian cities- which was historically seen in the battlefield and later on in the stadiums- was taken into the bedrooms! This way, Durex transformed aggression into love.

Capitalizing on Italians’ pride and competitive nature, Durex succeeded in generating a significant increase in sales, while at the same time promoting its stand on sex: Durex wants sex to be safe and romantic, but also fun and exciting. This mix of romance and fun is clearly displayed throughout the project’s communication points: viral video, radio, print, online, and guerrilla.

Sales: the response from the target was remarkable, and Durex retail sales increased considerably: lube sales increased by +46% and condom sales by +27%.

Online: the website received more than 850.000 visits and over 1.4m page visits. Plus, the viral video reached over 1.1m views without media investment.

Earned Media impressions: Exceeded 70m, proving that, regardless of the Catholic traditions of the country, which strongly limits talk of sex in the mass media, Loveville accomplished exceptional levels of visibility for Durex.

The results were so impressive that Durex has decided to repeat the project again in 2014.