50 Shades of Grey brand tie-ins, featuring Durex, Trojan, Tesco, B&Q and CarpetRight
It was bound to happen, and it has, a number of brands have released ads, products and questionable internal company memos tying them to the film adaptation of everyone's favourite piece of erotic fiction, Fifty Shades of Grey, in an attempt to benefit from the hype generated by its release this Valentine's Day weekend.
Major condom firms such as Trojan and Durex were a natural fit for the book trilogy which tells the tale of the highly charged romance between journalist Anastasia Steele and businessman, Christian Grey and their steamy exploits.
First up is Trojan condoms' two-and-a-half minute video; 'Trojan Fifty Shades of Real Pleasure - A 50 Shades Parody' which demonstrates just how difficult it can be for couples to recreate the books in the bedroom.
Next is Durex's minute-long reimagining of Fifty Shades 'Durex Reality, it’s better than fiction… #50GamesToPlay'.
The slot urges viewers to put down the books and visit 50gamestoplay.durex.com if they lack ideas on how to spice it up the bedroom.
Following the officially licensed ‘Foil Ultra Thin Condoms - Pack of 12’ on Amazon - yours for £9.
The condoms are part of the Fifty Shades of Grey Official Sensual Care Collection, a range of sex toys and accessories "approved by author E.L. James".
In the run-up to the movie's release on 13 February, however, a few unexpected brands also got involved in the social media storm.
Tesco clothing retailer, F&F got on the bandwagon with its official Fifty Shades lingerie line, offering customers a 25 per cent discount until the 15 February to coincide with the film's release.
Author EL James told Tesco she “particularly likes the Temptation bra and knicker sets because they are so comfortable under clothing,” adding she feels like she is “hiding a sexy secret [she] can unveil when the time is right...”
Next is Carpetright's competition offering social media users the chance to win a new mattress and linen set, acknowledging some of its customers may need new bedding after attempting to recreate scenes from the book.
Win a brand new mattress and bed linen with Carpetright's 'Between the sheets with Mr Grey' http://t.co/0mNU5z1T3O #50ShadesOfGrey
— Carpetright UK (@Carpetright) February 6, 2015
And finally, is a B&Q internal company memo leaked to the Telegraph urging its 20,887 employees to read Fifty Shades of Grey to help them deal with enquiries for rope and duct tape in a "polite, helpful and respectful manner".
The 'Staff Briefing - Preparation for Fifty Shades of Grey Customer Queries' read: "We stock many of the products featured in this notable scene and then used later in the film. When the book was released in 2012 DIY and hardware stores in the UK and US reported increased demand of certain products and queries from customers as they tried to recreate their own "Fifty Shades" experiences."
It added that the DIY good vendor will need "extra stock" to deal with the anticipated surge in demand.
This followed the release of a Lego remake of the trailer last week captured the romance at the heart of the movie.