Durex trolls AirPods in China ad

Durex China has joined in the fray to mock Apple's wireless headphones with a tongue-in-cheek ad showing runaway AirPods-lookalike items trapped in its product.

With the caption "Do not run away", the ad combines the graphic with clever wordplay to convey a message that AirPods (or other small...items) can be kept secure within AiR, the brand's thin condom line.

Netizens responded in good humour to the ad with the post on Durex' official Weibo site receiving more than 21,000 shares and 5,800 comments. 

Since their unveiling at the Apple launch event last Wednesday, the headphones, set to hit the market at US$159 next month, have been widely lampooned over how they could easily get lost.

Durex has been known for its cheeky marketing campaigns on social-media platforms in China, where sex remains something of a taboo topic. Being funny seems to help sales; Durex has reportedly increased its market share in China from 30 percent to 45 percent in the past four years.