Because one of our important clients is Durex, we at Havas are always interested in what South Africans are thinking and doing when it comes to sex. During recent research we have found that South Africans are getting more creative in the bedroom and trying new things sexually during the Corona lockdown.

Roughly 25% of respondents agreed “yes” to the question “have you been more creative in bedroom during lockdown”.

This would seem correlate with international research which looked into the sexual habits of millennials during lockdown by OnePoll and found that during lockdown 30% had tried something new when it comes to sex.

The US publication Psychology Today found that sales of lingerie had rocketed during lockdown, hitting levels usually only seen around Valentine’s Day, showing that it is not just Millennials who have been putting lockdown time to good use.

John Davenport, Chief Creative Officer at Havas suspects that “cutting people off from so many other forms of entertainment may have forced us to revert to a form of entertainment that is both cost effective and does not (usually) involve the wearing of masks…although of course that is sometimes an option…”

Lynn Madeley, CEO and Head of Strategy at Havas concluded, ‘Navigating this pandemic has been a tough time for everyone and it’s no surprise that sex has come out as both a stress reliever and a coping mechanism. Our interest as Havas goes beyond that though. Uncovering human behaviour around sex has opened up great opportunity for brands in the sex space to better connect with their target consumers using meaningful experiences and meaningful content. ’