Crezendo: Indias Controversial Condom

All around the world, governments, communities and families have engaged in the safe sex debate. With AIDS still a prominent force in the world, despite the media’s less frequent coverage of it, most governments believe promoting safe sex and abstinence is key to keeping the epidemic at bay. One such debate is happening in India today; the main argument hinges on when exactly the promotion of safe sex crosses the line into promoting recreational sex.

Behind this argument lies a seemingly innocent piece of vibrating plastic. The Crezendo is a small vibrating ring that is powered by batteries and comes attached to a regular condom. Conservatives in India are appalled by the marketing of this product in a country that strictly prohibits pornography and sexual devices. Those who are against the marketing of this device, including residents of Madhya Pradesh, feel that the Crezendo is simply a vibrator in the guise of a condom. They point to the back of the Crezendo box which clearly states “the vibrating ring can be used without a condom for self-pleasure.” They are equally upset that the company responsible for marketing this new condom is owned by the government. According to Kailash Vijayvargiya, the minister for road and energy in the state of Madhya Pradesh, it is the government’s duty “to promote family planning and population control measures rather than market products for sexual pleasure.” He goes on to say that “the vibrating device is nothing but a sex toy being sold as condoms.”

The manufacturers of the Crezendo, Hindustan Latex, Ltd., have stated their production of the Crezendo line stems from the steady decline of condom usage and the fact that regular condom users felt a “lack of pleasure when using condoms.” Further market research showed that many regular condoms that have been supplied and offered through other marketing techniques have not been used and therefore wasted. At a dollar a pop, the Crezendo offers Indians a safe sex experience coupled with “ultimate pleasure by producing strong vibrations.”

Of course, as we all know in business, many times any press is good press. By simply stirring up the controversy, protestors offered Crezendo a lot of free press which was akin to extra marketing for the brand. In fact, the company has not really had to utilize any extra marketing to promote the product. In two months time, over 50,000 packs were sold. Guess which state contributed to approximately 15% of these sales? If you guessed Madhya Pradesh, you would be right.

Boiled down, the question remains whether in a country where over 3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS any measure should be taken to prevent the further spread of AIDS. Should products like the Crezendo, that border on the line between preventative and erotic, be taken from the shelves despite the fact that they may help safeguard against a growing epidemic? Indians are asking themselves these questions today in their efforts to couple the promotion of safe sex with their conservative beliefs against promotion of  items and beliefs that are considered erotic.