STOCKHOLM — Nordic pleasure product brand RFSU has capitalized on a current scandal in the chess world over alleged cheating using anal toys, by referencing the controversy in a billboard advertising its butt plugs.
The ad was highlighted last week as “Ad of the Day” by marketing publication The Drum.
As XBIZ reported, the pleasure product sector has been abuzz with rumors that pro chess player Magnus Carlsen accused 19-year-old chess prodigy Hans Niemann of working with an accomplice who allegedly activated vibrating anal beads to guide Niemann’s play.
RFSU quickly “created a reactive campaign in a clever move to tout its products,” The Drum’s Amy Houston reported.
RFSU’s campaign involves billboards and social media posts targeted to Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
A company rep told The Drum that RFSU hopes the campaign “will return the butt plug to its rightful position — the hero.”
The Drum described one of the billboards as picturing a butt plug “which has been placed on top of a chess board and the cheeky copy reads, ‘This isn’t cheating. It’s a winning move.’”
Anette Otterström, communication and brand manager at RFSU AB, told The Drum that, “Finally, sex toys get their well-deserved time in the spotlight. However, we want to nuance the cheating accusations, since sex toys are incredible shortcuts to get people on top of their game in bed.”
The campaign was created by Valtech Radon with media support from Scream.