Trojan released a 50 Shades of Grey parody ad entitled “50 Shades of Pleasure” in anticipation of the upcoming film adaptation of the trashy novel.
In the online spot, apparently produced in-house, a couple describes their sexual misadventures while in couples therapy. Since the guy never actually read the book, he “wings it,” but that’s really the beginning of the couples’ troubles, which include self-injury at the hands of a whip, a very poorly chosen safe word, and the man equating “dark and mysterious” with ninja. It’s essentially variations on the same joke stretched out over two minutes or so, with a very abrupt force resolution tacked on which positions the brand as a “comfortable” alternative to poor decisions. The spot ends with the tagline, “Get out of the grey area, into 50 shades of real pleasure.” It all boils down to a very obvious attempt to get in on the hoopla surrounding the film’s release, and, unsurprisingly, a 15-second teaser of the ad will run in cinemas.