Durex Celebrates Apple No Longer Autocorrecting ‘Ducking’ In Vivid Ads
Image courtesy of MRM NY
Your iPhone is meant to be an extension of yourself, but for a long time, potty-mouthed individuals have been censored, silenced, by the quack that is the word “duck.” Each attempt at swearing in a rage-fueled text was undermined by a bout of embarrassment.
Then, at WWDC 2023, Apple announced it was offering protection to the feelings of users who engage in colorful language. Head of software engineering Craig Federighi proclaimed that if people “just want to type a ‘ducking’ word,” the autocorrecting feature will learn this and better predict, based on their habits, if they want to say “ducking” or not the next time around.
Durex is evidently wrapped up in joy by the more socially-aware algorithm, so much so that it’s teamed up with marketing agency MRM NY to proudly declare in a dedicated campaign: “It’s about ducking time!”
The sexual wellness brand is rejoicing in the liberation of smartphone keyboards with a series of duck-forward visuals to “unify the brand’s love for rubbers, and its love for… ‘ducking,’” reads the press release.
“In a time when brands are expected to be more relevant and open, we decided to take what the world was already meme-ing and turn it into a cultural commerce opportunity,” shares MRM NY’s chief creative officer Harsh Kapadia. “There are many reasons why *uck gets censored, but it’s about ducking time we got a little more open and started celebrating.”
Flocking to Durex’s social media channels are Instagram posts of “ducks in the wild,” TikTok videos of rubber ducks “mucking about,” and targeted posts for “older ducks.” In the spirit of Pride Month, there’s also a “queer as duck” variation.
@durex_usa iykyk 📱 ABOUTDUCKINGTIME Save 15% with code DOWNTODUCK on www.durexusa.com - âž¡ï¸ link in bio
♬ Duck march(938776) - dendouseinen
Clearly, a lot of ducks were given about the change.
[via MRM NY, images courtesy]
