Screw the Past

Despite the fact that lubricants are now available in every pharmacy and many grocery stores, people in the Nordics still turn to alternatives from both the bathroom cabinet and the kitchen cupboard to improve glide in the bedroom. In its campaign for new lubricants, Nordic sexual health brand RFSU sends substitutes such as saliva, lotion and olive oil to the museum, encouraging Nordic people to stop doing it the good old way.

In their most recent campaign created by creative agency Valtech Radon, Nordic sexual health brand RFSU is encouraging northerners to “Screw the Past”, referring to the continued use of alternative lubricants in Nordic bedrooms. A survey conducted by research company IPSOS on behalf of RFSU shows that not only skincare and hygiene products, but also kitchen staples, play a role in Nordic people's sex lives. Six out of ten (62%) have used saliva for added lubrication, 37% have used baby oil, and 34% body lotion. Just over one in five (22%) have at some point used cooking oil as a lubricant, and more than one in ten (13%) have even tried liquid honey.

“Lubrication is essentially a prerequisite for an enjoyable sex life, yet few people would likely resort to such unconventional solutions when it comes to other hygiene products. There are simply far better and more modern options than saliva and olive oil, and with this campaign we’re shining a light on behaviours that may be overdue for retirement,” says Anette Otterström, Head of Brand & Communication at RFSU AB.

The creative campaign is being launched across TV, OOH, social media and through influencer collaborations in the Nordics, and is set within historical paintings in a museum, where RFSU’s goal is for the ancient lubricants to remain.

To further highlight the irrational use of alternative lubricants, RFSU has also combined the most common alternative lubricants in the Nordics into a new product – Lubiosis – where the composition of ingredients reflects actual usage based on an IPSOS survey. However, how well Lubiosis performs as a lubricant remains unsaid – the product is not intended for use.

“The whole team nearly choked on their coffee when we saw how common it is to use DIY alternatives instead of actual lubricant. So we wanted to dramatise the absurdity of still relying on saliva and kitchen ingredients when it’s time for sex. By literally placing spit, olive oil and honey in a museum, we want to show just how medieval these ‘hacks’ really are,” says Isak Landaboure Lengholm, Creative Director at Valtech Radon.