Try before you buy: Durex offers consumers a trial run of new product launching in Germany

Will Glynn-Jones, founder and managing director of Send Me a Sample, examines how digital sampling helped power the launch of Durex Intensity in Germany.

When launching a new product in a category as personal as ‘sexual wellness’, brands face a unique challenge: consumers often need to try a product before they feel confident purchasing it.

With the release of its new Intensity condom range, designed to elevate sensation and enhance intimacy, Durex recognised that trial would be essential in proving the product’s promise and to encourage purchase conversion. To meet this challenge, the brand turned to Send Me a Sample, leveraging its proprietary product trial platform, to put the product into the hands of consumers quickly, discreetly, and at scale.

Social network

In partnership with Send Me a Sample, Durex executed a digital sampling programme across Germany aimed at driving trial among key audiences, both male and female, aged 18 - 44. The programme was media-led, leveraging ad buys across Meta platforms, both Facebook and Instagram, where consumers could request their sample directly from the ad itself. This frictionless approach helped accelerate response and boost conversion. Within just 10 days, all available samples were claimed, proving strong demand for a new product experience in an often under-sampled category.

Every consumer received a single Intensity condom, supported by a follow-up email programme designed to educate, build brand trust, and prompt purchase. Consumers were guided through product features, safe-use information, and offered a discount to drive the all-important first purchase

Success in statistics

The campaign reached a 59% male / 41% female audience, highlighting social trends on how genders take personal responsibility for sexual wellness. 74% of the audience reported trying the condom within three weeks.

Sampling in this way drives valuable and usable data. 65% of consumers consented to share their data with Durex, significantly higher than the 42% average benchmark for German programs. This stream of rich first-party data gave Durex deeper insights into consumer behaviour, preferences, and purchase intentions within a notoriously difficult category.

This insight helped inform the evaluation of the campaign. The program delivered a 27% claimed purchase rate, far surpassing the 18% average benchmark for Personal Care campaigns across Europe. 75% of participants stated an intention to purchase in the future.

Other categories have long embraced sampling as a key part of their product launch strategies, from skincare and cosmetics to beverages and household care.

Digital sampling, in particular, has grown rapidly as consumers increasingly prefer personalised, low-effort, in-feed experiences.

Beauty brands have seen notable success by integrating try-before-you-buy models on social platforms, while FMCG brands use digital sampling to launch product innovation and gather behavioural data at scale. These trends demonstrate that sampling bridges the gap between curiosity and conversion.

Durex’s campaign shows that the same principles can be effectively applied to sexual wellness. 

By reaching consumers in trusted environments, offering discreet participation, and providing education post-trial, digital sampling helps overcome the hesitation commonly associated with condoms and other intimacy products.