Two Milwaukee organizations partner to launch free condom brand

Two local organizations are launching a new brand of condoms, Naughty Bags, available free of charge, in an effort to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy in high-crime, low-income Milwaukee communities.

Milwaukee has a teen pregnancy rate three times that of the national average, and STD rates are equally high. Naughty Bags aim to increase awareness of the importance of sexual health, motivate young adults to make safe sexual choices and engage with the community to create positive change.

Using information gathered from focus groups with urban young adults and research on their sexual behavior, Cramer-Krasselt, an integrated marketing and communications agency, and community partner Diverse & Resilient, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the well-being of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ community, recognized that this unique problem required a unique solution. Everything from the Naughty Bags name, to the artwork, to the individual names such as “Scuba Gear” and “Papa Stopper” that appear on each condom wrapper, were developed in collaboration with the same urban young adult focus groups. Ideas for accessible distribution channels were also developed together to help teens and young adults most in need.

Diverse & Resilient will be distributing Naughty Bags through their existing 414ALL free condom program all around Milwaukee. Naughty Bags will also be available in community barbershops that will house condom dispensers and through discreet pickup locations — disguised as newspaper stands — throughout the Milwaukee zip codes that need them most.

All distribution locations can be found on the Naughty Bags website, usenaughtybags.com.