Who: Wow Tech Group, with The Garden for creative and Cairns Oneil for media.

What: An out-of-home campaign for the female sex today Womanizer, cleverly connected to the current stay-at-home imperative across most of the country.

When & Where: The billboards are up now, running in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on media space donated by Outfront, Branded Cities, Pattison and Astral.

Why: As we all know by now, people need to stay home as much as possible to stop the spread of COVID-19, which means less socializing and increased stress for many. “It’s vitally important that Canadians stay home in order to flatten the curve, and the Womanizer can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that comes from being cooped up inside,” says Stephanie Keating, head of North America marketing for Wow Tech. In other words, this is a good time to masturbate, and therefore a good time to sell sex toys.

Wait, can you back that last statement up? “You are your safest sex partner. Masturbation will not spread COVID-19,” according to the NYC Health Department. And Wow Tech’s March sales of the Womanizer in Canada were up more than 260% from March 2019.

How: Much like the campaign Wow Tech and The Garden ran last year, the billboards rely on a product shot and a simple, nuanced headline. Last year it was “Scream your own name,” this year, it’s “Stay home.”

Wow Tech also partnered with two online Womanizer retailers, Stag Shop and Quebec’s SexxxPlus, to give $10 from each premium Womanizer ($219) sold to the YWCA COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Community Resilience Fund.

Quote: “It’s so important for non-essential workers to keep their social distance right now. We saw a fun opportunity to get that message across in a tongue-in-cheek way with a brand whose main focus is self-care. Frontline workers are going out into the world and risking their lives—the least we can do is stay home and masturbate.”—Lindsay Eady, associate creative director, The Garden.