The Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR) is conducted once a decade, and provides a snapshot of the sexual health and well-being of the Australian population and provides information essential for the development of policy and the delivery of sexual and reproductive health programs across Australia.
The second Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR) involved about 20,000 men and women aged between 16 and 69, who were interviewed via random phone calls between October 2012 and November 2013.
Results from the survey revealed in by abc.net.au show that while Australians are engaging in a broader range of sexual experiences, they appear to be having less sex.
Condom use has become more common and the use of protection during a first time experience continued to increase. One of the study’s investigators Professor Chris Rissel told ABC, “That’s a fantastic success story for Australia in terms of the way contraception and condoms are increasingly being used at the first time of sex”.
Another researcher, Dr Richard de Visser, said people were more vigilant with new sexual partners but there was room for improvement, “What’s interesting is, we find first-time condom use at first sexual experiences is high and stayed high; when we look at more recent experiences we’ve found that people are using condoms in around about a quarter of their most recent sexual experiences,”
Changes in condom usage are backed up by figures presented at the recent Ansell AGM on 16 October. These figures showed that sales of Ansell’s flagship condom brand, SKYN® condoms grew by 22% vs. F13 with the brand reaching double-digit market share in three countries.
There are three SKYN® SKUs available in the Convenience channel: SKYN® Original; SKYN® Extra Lubricated and SKYN® Intense Feel. Ansell offer retailers a range of unique and eye catching SKYN® point of sale to strengthen brand presence and assist with increasing impulse purchase.
Ansell has 85.8% share of the total condom category in the Convenience channel, of which SKYN® accounts for 26.5%. SKYN® is the only condom brand currently in growth in this channel, experiencing 33.7% growth in the last year and contributing to over $1 million in sales*.
Plans to continue to grow the SKYN brand include new innovations and 360 degree marketing campaigns including sampling, outdoor, TV, experiential/activation, and digital/social media campaigns. These activities generate awareness, encourage trial and usually extend to adoption and brand loyalty through offering the next level in sensation.
* (Aztec, Value P&C, MAT 05/10/14). Currently the Convenience channel is the second largest contributor to SKYN sales nationally, following grocery (Aztec, Value All Channels, MAT 05/10/14).