Veru Healthcare: advert-body-1 by New Honor Society

Female condoms have been suffering from an image problem since they were first introduced to Americans nearly 30 years ago. Instead of being embraced as an empowering alternative to male condoms, the female condom has largely been perceived as a peculiar and even unnecessary option for safe sex, drawing comparisons to everything from a sandwich bag to Edvard Munch’s The Scream.

That's why Veru Healthcare isn’t pulling any punches in an ad for its FC2 female condom, which the company describes as a non-latex “thin, soft, loose-fitting sheath.” In the ad, a spokeswoman for the brand tackles the stigmas around female condoms head-on by humorously pointing out that many of society’s preconceived notions about them might not be so accurate after all.

For example, for those who are convinced that the FC2 is too “big and baggy,” she retaliates by using props including a banana, carrot and squash to remind women that the female condom is likely suitable for even “the world’s most petite pink canoe.” Later in the video, she attempts to quell concerns about the female condom falling out during sex by showing that you can do cartwheels, hula hoop and even use a pogo stick with one in without the risk of it falling out.

Created by New Honor Society, which has offices offices in St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco, the spokesperson in the video is actually a senior copywriter at the agency named Amanda Burch. According to the agency, Burch stood in for a “famously taboo-testing comedienne” in the pitch video, but Veru Healthcare liked Burch’s performance so much that they decided to give her the role instead.

“New Honor Society had a fearless, no-holds-barred approach to both the strategy and creative execution,” said Brian J. Groch, chief commercial officer at Veru Healthcare, in a statement. “They weren’t afraid of the subject, and they weren’t afraid of the challenge. And they knew exactly how to break through and create an authentic conversation in a category where conversations aren’t currently happening.”

The video will run on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and FC2’s landing page.