Fox And CBS Reject New Condom Commercial

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MrsSpringsteen

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So that's what Phil Joanou is doing these days..I don't get it, certainly they show all of those Cialis, etc commercials (and during daytime tv too). Not to mention their programming. And like it says in the article, sex is used in so many ads for products that have nothing to do with sex.

You can watch the ad on their website that's listed in the article-trojanevolve.com.

NY Times June 18th

Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms
By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN

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In a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs. One shuffles to the men’s room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent now smiles at him invitingly.

Directed by Phil Joanou (“State of Grace”), with special effects by the Stan Winston Studio (“Jurassic Park”), the commercial is entertaining. But it also has a message, spelled out at the end: “Evolve. Use a condom every time.”

“We have to change the perception that carrying a condom for women or men is a sign they’re on the prowl and just want to have sex,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group, the New York advertising agency that created the “Evolve” campaign. “It’s a sign of somebody being prepared — if the opportunity arises — to think about their own health and the health and safety of their partner.”

But the pigs did not fly at two of the four networks where Trojan tried to place the ad.

Fox and CBS both rejected the commercial. Both had accepted Trojan’s previous campaign, which urged condom use because of the possibility that a partner might be H.I.V.-positive, perhaps unknowingly. A 2001 report about condom advertising by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that, “Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention — which may be allowed — and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons.”

Representatives for both Fox and CBS confirmed that they had refused the ads, but declined to comment further.

In a written response to Trojan, though, Fox said that it had rejected the spot because, “Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.”

In its rejection, CBS wrote, “while we understand and appreciate the humor of this creative, we do not find it appropriate for our network even with late-night-only restrictions.”

“It’s so hypocritical for any network in this culture to go all puritanical on the subject of condom use when their programming is so salacious,” said Mark Crispin Miller, a media critic who teaches at New York University. “I mean, let’s get real here. Fox and CBS and all of them are in the business of nonstop soft porn, but God forbid we should use a condom in the pursuit of sexual pleasure.”



Networks accept ads of a not-so-subtle sexual nature for erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, often restricting them to the wee hours.

Trojan has had no trouble finding other broadcasters to take its money. Jim Daniels, vice president for marketing, said that the company was spending more on this than any previous campaign, but declined to say how much. The commercial will run on ABC, NBC and nine cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central and Adult Swim. Print ads will appear in 11 magazines and on seven Web sites. All will highlight a Web site, trojanevolve.com.

The 87-year-old company placed its first ad in trade magazines for pharmacists in 1927, when druggists still kept condoms behind the counter. Though out in the aisles for decades, condoms are still purchased furtively: while the average time shopping for a home-pregnancy test is 2.5 minutes, the average condom buyer takes just 7 seconds, according to research by Trojan. “We call it a drive-by purchase,” Mr. Daniels said. “People to this day are embarrassed.”

In its new commercial, the word “Trojan” is never uttered, and the logo appears only briefly on the bathroom’s vending machine and at the end. But with what according to A. C. Nielsen Research is 75 percent of the condom market (Durex is second with 15 percent, LifeStyles third with 9 percent), Mr. Daniels said the company was focusing less on growing market share than growing the market. The annual condom market is now $416 million, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.

“With a 75 percent share of the market, we can prioritize growing the category and increasing overall condom usage,” Mr. Daniels said. “Right now in the U.S. only one in four sex acts involves using a condom. That’s dramatically below usage rates in other developed countries. Our goal is to dramatically increase use.”

Sometimes that goal finds Mr. Daniels seeming less like he works for Church & Dwight — the consumer products company that purchased Trojan in 2001 and also makes Arm & Hammer baking soda — and more like an agitator for public health. Last year, for example, Trojan issued its first Sexual Health Report Card, grading 100 colleges and universities on criteria including their testing for sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assault courses and, of course, condom availability.



While Mr. Daniels does not disparage the company’s double-entendre-heavy “Trojan Man” campaign from the 1990s or similar Trojan Tales Web site today, the tone of the company’s promotions is moving away from “Beavis and Butthead” and toward “Sex and the City.”

“The ‘Evolve’ ad does a nice job of being humorous, but it’s also a serious call to action,” Mr. Daniels said. “The pigs are a symbol of irresponsible sexual behavior, and are juxtaposed with the condom as a responsible symbol of respect for oneself and one’s partner.”

The industry typically tries to reach men, but this campaign’s ads are running in Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Trojan sees growth potential in women customers, who make only 30 percent of condom purchases. In 2005 it introduced Elexa, a line of condoms in pastel packages that include what is known in industry parlance as a “pleasure accessory.”

Trojan and its competitors are adding the accessories across their entire product lines. The perennial challenge for condoms is the perception that they are unpleasant to use, so having an erotic add-on could increase sales as well as lower the incidence of disease and unintended pregnancies. The pleasure enhancement is a message that TV networks may be reluctant to broadcast.

“We always find it funny that you can use sex to sell jewelry and cars, but you can’t use sex to sell condoms,” said Carol Carrozza, vice president of marketing for Ansell Healthcare, which makes LifeStyles condoms. “When you’re marketing condoms, something even remotely suggestive gets an overly analytical eye when it’s going before networks’ review boards.”
 
This is so disheartening. Heaven forbid we want to teach personal responsibility. Someone might get offended!

:|
 
I guess when men use Viagra and Cialis the possibility of pregnancy just somehow magically disappears. It's a wonderland of consequence free multi hour sex.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


Isn't that what TV is telling by all the Viagra and Cialis commercials?

Well, I suppose it would be cool for the old men out there. :hmm:

For the rest of us, it's a bit :barf: .
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
I guess when men use Viagra and Cialis the possibility of pregnancy just somehow magically disappears. It's a wonderland of consequence free multi hour sex.

Ah, but only for those men whose female partners are post-menopausal.
 
Hahaha, we get commercials in Canada (not even on late night) for those Durex vibrating rings. Some people really are Puritan, I guess.
 
Ahh, of course BVS, again you deliver. You always somehow manage to object to every word I say.

With the exception of garbage like Maury, I happen to think AMW, Cops, The Simpsons, 24, and of course, MLB on Fox are quality, entertaining programming.

CBS, however, is not. Two and a Half Men, Pirate Master, Big Brother, David Letterman and Katie Couric don't draw me in. The Price Is Right was good, but who knows how long the show will continue now or how good it will be.
 
2861U2 said:


With the exception of garbage like Maury, I happen to think AMW, Cops, The Simpsons, 24, and of course, MLB on Fox are quality, entertaining programming.


Cops is good?

Let's not forget the blowhard O'Reiley, the worse "News" known to man, and wonderful reality shows such as trading spouses.
 
A 2001 report about condom advertising by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that, “Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention — which may be allowed — and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons.”
==============================================
In a written response to Trojan, though, Fox said that it had rejected the spot because, “Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.”

This reminds me of what Jon Stewart said once on the Daily Show - "Fox News is a diocese". (he said this around the time Benedict XVI became pope.)
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


Cops is good?

Well, it depends. It's an interesting show, IMO. However, the fascination of "Hey, I might be on COPS if I misbehave" probably isnt a good thing to encourage.

Let's not forget the blowhard O'Reiley, the worse "News" known to man, and wonderful reality shows such as trading spouses.

We're not talking about the cable news network though, we're talking about the broadcasting network. The Fox News vs. CBS News is a different debate. But yes, with every channel there will be bright spots and dark spots. I just think the bright spots are brighter at Fox and the dark spots are darker at CBS.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


Are they not owned by the same company that denied this commercial?

Yes, they sure are, but I wasn't talking about the commercial then. I was talking about Fox's programming, and you switched to Fox News' programming.

Anywho, back to the topic, after thinking about it, I agree with most of you guys. It's just a condom commercial. I can't flip through the channels without seeing an ED ad, so I dont fully understand why a channel would object to this ad. I dont think any less of Fox or CBS because of this, though. If they dont want to run it, they dont have to run it. Fine by me. Personally, the fewer condom and ED ads I see, the better.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


Isn't it the responsible thing to promote safe sex?

Yes, it is important, but then you could make the case that there should be nothing but condom commercials on television, which I dont want to see nor do I want little children seeing.

Sometimes, watching condom commercials, I get the feeling that they are more interested in being funny and showing pretty girls than they are in spreading the "Hey, use condoms" message. I dont know, maybe as long as the condoms are sold I guess it doesnt matter how, but it just seems like their priorities might not be correct and that they could advertise in a different way.
 
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2861U2 said:


Sometimes, watching condom commercials, I get the feeling that they are more interested in being funny and showing pretty girls than they are in spreading the "Hey, use condoms" message. I dont know, maybe as long as the condoms are sold I guess it doesnt matter how, but it just seems like their priorities might not be correct and that they could advertise in a different way.

No, it doesn't matter.

Education should be fun, have you never seen someone use humor, song, or other such fun things to educate or promote?
 
2861U2 said:


Yes, it is important, but then you could make the case that there should be nothing but condom commercials on television, which I dont want to see nor do I want little children seeing.


Who would make that point?:huh:
 
2861U2 said:

it just seems like their priorities might not be correct and that they could advertise in a different way.

Their priority is to make money, the same as the TV network. Definitely not sex education. I'm sure that Trojan isn't the only advertiser on Fox/CBS's plate. The networks are private enterprises, they should be given plenty of latitude on what commercials they air.
 
I miss the old operatic Trojan man commercials.

Educational and high comedy at the same time :up:
 
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