Forget chocolates or roses this Valentine's Day -- a gift of musical
condoms is bound to be more entertaining.
Hong Kong's condom maker Ondo Creation hopes its Idom sheathes will put
a more romantic spin on safe sex.
The Idom itself doesn't sing -- but the mint, strawberry, chocolate and
banana flavored condoms come in an attractive package with a music CD to
get you in the mood for love.
"We create an environment for lovers who would like to try a different
experience," said Victor Tsang who runs Ondo Creation.
"We try to create products that are not embarrassing, but very trendy
and hip." he added.
Cynics may scoff at the marketing gloss, but the 18 month start-up's
products sell across the world. The firm also won a bronze medal in the
Industrial Design Excellence Awards run in conjunction with BusinessWeek
magazine, which said Ondo had managed to "revitalize the image of
condoms."
Tsang says his product was inspired by a desire to promote safe sex and
to provide a fun, relaxed alternative for what he calls "more
conservative" customers.
The brand eschews regular prophylactic distributors, instead peddling
its wares in bookstores, record shops and trendy nightspots in a long list
of cities that includes Hong Kong, London, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam,
Tokyo and Singapore.
"We're targeting more lifestyle stores, rather than pharmacies," said
Tsang.
Tsang expected a 30 percent surge in sales ahead of Valentine's Day.
The Idom's Exotica, Chocotasy and Loveberry brands come with CD
compilations of chillout ,
acid jazz and dance music.
