Trojan Takes on Ideology

“We can’t become sexually healthy until we reframe the way we think and talk about sex and sexual health.”
- Trojan “Evolve” campaign

The Trojan “Evolve” campaign won the “Product Brand Development Campaign of the Year”, awarded by PR Week. Many of you will remember the furor that erupted last summer when CBS and Fox refused to run the ads because they focused on pregnancy prevention.

Trojan uses the reject of chavaunist pig (literally, a pig) to create a message framework around equality and modern sexuality. The main message: using a condom is “a symbol of respect for you and your partner”. The campaign manages to be socially conscious, educational, funny and hip. Jim Craigie, CEO of the advertising firm who created the campaign, said, “We’re trying to appeal to your psyche”. According to Craigie, Trojan sees a massive potential to expand the condom market.

I would write about the fantastic messaging of this campaign, but maybe its better to let it speak for itself (the case statement is copied below). The campaign recruited notable sexual health experts like Dr Drew Pinsky, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, and Dr. Cynthia Gomez to help launch the campaign. The campaign engaged the college market by launching an annual “sexual health report card” among university campuses (the University of Minnesota ranked first).

Trojan Campaign Case Statement:

Evolve: Toward a Sexually Healthy America

The fact is, America is not a sexually healthy nation. How can we be, when our rates of sexually transmitted infection, unintended pregnancy, and abortion are higher than in virtually every other Western country?

Our problem isn’t resources – we have the most advanced health system in the world, easy access to information, and effective, low-cost protection available at every corner store. What’s keeping us from benefiting from these resources are our attitudes about sexual health.

What is “sexual health” anyway? It means understanding that everyone is sexual by nature, taking care of your body, and being able to experience pleasure, satisfaction, and intimacy when you’re ready. And it means protecting and respecting yourself and others. Being sexually healthy means enjoying your sexuality, both emotionally and physically, throughout your life.

That’s where today’s conflicted attitudes fail us. Often, we promote ideology over information – such as when we deny people comprehensive sex education in favor of “abstinence-only” programs even though government studies show they don’t work. Our television networks regularly put sexual content in prime time programming, but restrict or even forbid ads for condoms during those very shows.

Worst of all, we continue to associate using condoms, or even just buying them, with promiscuity and “bad intentions”. Single sexually-active Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 use latex condoms only about one-quarter of the time, even though they’ve been proven effective at preventing pregnancy and helping stop the transmission of disease.

Simply put, our attitudes need to evolve. We can’t become sexually healthy until we reframe the way we think and talk about sex and sexual health. If we fail in this, we’ll not only hurt ourselves, but also risk passing on our unhealthy attitudes – depriving future generations of the healthy, fulfilling sex lives they deserve.

This challenging task begins with a simple message: Sex itself isn’t an unhealthy thing that needs to be challenged or demonized; it’s a natural expression of our humanity. Using protection consistently and correctly is a critical component to managing one’s sexual health.

Deciding to have sex with someone means asking yourself some heavy questions about trust, intimacy, and shared responsibility. Our message is straightforward: the use of condoms is a positive signal that partners respect one another.

That’s the conversation the makers of Trojan Brand Condoms want to start in America. We’re not promoting sexual activity. We are promoting open, fact-based dialogue among people who are considering having sex. The immediate goal of our “Evolve” campaign is to reframe the way people think about carrying condoms, but that’s not all. We also have to wake people up to the idea that valuing themselves means choosing partners who value them. It won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight. But we’ve been part of America’s sex life for generations. This journey is worth our time, and yours too.