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Durex hands Sean Dyche the keys to Woodley United – but does the joke carry the message?

A former Premier League manager, a real non-league club and a dressing room full of innuendo. Durex’s new campaign is cheeky, clever and very hard to ignore. Is it too much?

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The ad

Durex has signed former Burnley, Everton and Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche for “Get Wood Rising”, a season-long comedy series built around Woodley United – a genuine non-league side from Berkshire whose name does a lot of the heavy lifting. Created by McCann Content Studios in London, it promotes the Durex Performance condom and gel range.

Dyche arrives as the club’s “performance director”, with comedian Chris McClure’s Sunday-league manager character Steve Bracknall as his assistant. Both wear Durex across the chest, as does the squad. The team talk is three words – “Stronger, longer, together” – the advice is to slow down, stop overthinking and enjoy it, and the players are sent home with boxes of condoms as “homework”.

The opening film of the campaign passed a million views on Durex UK’s Instagram within hours of its 9 October launch, and the series will run across Meta, TikTok and some selected influencer channels.

Too much, or spot on?

The case for: embarrassment is the biggest barrier to condom use, and humour dissolves it. Durex has always worked this way, and football is a near-perfect route to young men – the audience that most needs to be talked to and is least likely to read a leaflet.

Dyche’s gruff, self-aware delivery makes the brand feel ordinary, and putting condoms into the hands of a lads’ football team normalises carrying them. That is a public-health win, whatever the product line.

The case against: this is a pleasure-and-performance campaign, not a protection one. Nowhere is the word “safe” doing any work; the joke is about lasting longer, not about STIs, HIV or an unplanned for pregnancy.

Furthermore, football is a family sport – a social-first push on TikTok, with a recognisable football figure, will inevitably reach viewers younger than Durex intends.

Does it get the message across?

As a brand message, emphatically yes – you will not forget it. As a sexual-health message, only by implication. The condom is in shot throughout, which quietly says “this is what normal looks like”, but a single line about protection would have cost nothing and perhaps made the campaign harder to criticise.

With a whole season of episodes to come, there is still time to pass final judgement.

So how would you advertise sex and most importantly, protected sex?

• Use humour, not shame. Laughter lowers defences; lectures raise them.
• Sell confidence and care, not just performance. Pleasure and protection are not rivals – say both.
• Choose your pitch carefully. Age-gate where you can, and remember who else is watching.
• Make the call to action plain. Innuendo gets attention; clarity changes behaviour.
• Keep everyone in the picture. Sexual health is for all ages, genders and relationships.

Verdict: bold, funny and broadly spot on – with one open goal left unattempted. Or, is it too much and there is a real dnager of the advert being seen by an audience who are too young?

Sources: The Drum · Creative Salon · Africa Soccer