Trojan Condoms: A Taste of Marketing Creativity

There are numerous brands of condoms manufactured and distributed across the global markets. However, only a few names dominate the markets. Condom users have set several standards in their choice of specific brands of condoms. Trojan condoms are particularly among the most well known in its league. Experts cite one distinct feature why Trojan condoms are popular, and that is: strong marketing strategies.

When it comes to condoms, Trojan is the pride of the United States. One logical reason is that the brand is locally made for the US market by a latex company called Church and Dwight Company, which is also a popular household and consumer products maker. To date, Trojan accounts for about 70.5% of the US market for condoms. Trojan is sold in almost all major drugstores and retailers across the country and most of its products are still made in the USA.

Comparatively, Trojan is not as popular as its strongest rival Durex when it comes to overall global sales. But in its home market, the US, Trojan condoms are the most popular. It is estimated that in the US market, the brand is four times more popular that its closest competitor, still Durex. Thus, there is a sense in advertising slogans heralding the dominance of Trojan as the #1 condom brand across the US.

Trojan condoms made their debut in the US market is the 1920s. The original manufacturer was New York-based Young’s Rubber. From the start, hype was already used in the sales of the products. In 1987, Trojan became the record holder as the first American condom brand to have a television advertisement aired. The 15-second commercial spot for the brand was seen three times within February of that year over at KRON-TV based in San Francisco.

Trojan was meticulously branded. The company made sure the logo and packaging design would create an impact. The helmet symbol in the boxes were very much effective in symbolizing virility and protection. The company logo was also very carefully designed and eliminated before finally being put to use.

The most aggressive marketing campaign for Trojan condoms was the online games called Trojan Games launched in 2003. The Website was created to convince United Kingdom users to shift to Trojan. In the campaign, online readers were comedically led to believe that there actually was a special Olympics to be held in Bucharest for sexual performance. In 2006, the videos and materials used in the Website was among the most frequently searched for and watched over at Google videos and YouTube.

Other than that, the American pop culture helped Trojan inch up popularity. For instance, the word Trojan referring to this brand of condoms was mentioned in songs released by popular music recording stars like Prince, Billy Joel, Black Eyed Peas and rapper Fabulous. There are also some Hollywood movies that have been noted to refer to Trojan as condoms. Among them are History of the World, Trojan War and the 40-Year Old Virgin. As such Trojan has been very much engrained into the American subconcious as the premier condom product.

Trojan has been known to release the most talked about ads. People, especially Americans, equate the brand to overall protection from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.