Trojan (brand)

Trojan is a brand name of condoms and sexual lubricants manufactured by the Church & Dwight Company. Trojan condoms were started by Merle Leland Youngs in the 1910s after he moved to New York City. The major condom manufacturer before Youngs was Julius Schmid, who had made condoms from animal intestines starting in the 1880s.[1] Around the same time, Youngs developed reliable rubber condoms under the brand names Ramses and Sheik.[2]

Trojan
OwnerChurch & Dwight Company
CountryUnited States
Introduced1916 (1916)
Previous ownersFay and Youngs (1916)
Youngs Drug Products (1919)
Carter-Wallace (1985)
Church & Dwight (2001)
TaglineTrojan. Pleasure you want. Protection you trust.
Websitewww.trojanbrands.com/condoms

Due to the Comstock Law of 1873 and many similar state laws, condoms were sold as protection against disease until 1957 when the law was repealed. Many pharmacists were reluctant to sell sex-related products so consumers often purchased condoms in secret in the backrooms of bars.

As of 2006, 70.5 percent of condoms purchased in United States drugstores are Trojan brand.[2]

Brand history

Trojan condoms were first manufactured in 1916 by Merle Leland Youngs through his company Fay and Youngs, renamed Youngs Rubber Corporation in 1919. Youngs Rubber Corporation debuted Trojan brand condoms with the image of the Trojan helmet.[3] Trojan began advertising condoms in 1927 through an ad placed in a trade magazine for pharmacists.[4]

By 1930 latex-based materials were used. Latex was less expensive than the rubber used previously, while still providing protection against disease and pregnancy. The material change also allowed a shelf life of five years in comparison to three months.[5] Like all condoms sold in the U.S., Trojan condoms are electrically tested for durability and reliability. As of 2009, Trojan produces 30 different varieties of condoms.[6]

Research

Since 2006, Trojan has conducted the Sexual Health Report Card, an annual ranking of the sexual health resources available to students at college and university campuses throughout the United States. Student health centers at 141 schools from the various Bowl Championship Series conferences are ranked on the students' opinion of subjects such as their health center, condom and other contraceptive availability, HIV and STD testing, student peer groups, sexual assault programs and resources, and website usability.[7][8][9] Research firm Sperling's BestPlaces collates and analyzes the data. During the last report in 2016, University of Georgia ranked among the best, with St. John's University in last place. The results caused much controversy, school administrators must say that they must adhere to Roman Catholic teachings.

Marketing

In 2003, in order to introduce Trojan condoms in the United Kingdom, a humorous fake official web site for the so-called Trojan Games was created. The Trojan Games were supposedly an international sporting event similar to the Olympics and taking place in Bucharest. The sports were based on sexual performance. As of November 2006 the various "Trojan Games" videos had been viewed 300 million times.[10]

Trojan Vibrations gave away a total of 7,000 free vibrators in New York City and Washington, DC in 2012.[11][12]

By August of 2018 a new ad campaign called "big sexy world" rose up their sales and controversy, with their newer mascot Trojan Man. Many people received the ad on YouTube and Spotify and strongly disliked the ads because they're "too inappropriate".[13][14]

On September 24th, 2020, a podcast hosted by Cody Ko called "The Pleasure Is Ours" -- sponsored by Trojan and produced by iHeartRadio -- was announced via a trailer published across all major podcasting platforms.[15] The first episode premiered a week later, on October 1st, 2020, featuring YouTuber Drew Gooden.[16] In each episode, Ko "invites a special guest on board to act as the older brothers (or sister) you never had, picking apart the dumbest notions that a young man or woman might be exposed to as they come of age, with topics ranging from work, to sex, to entertainment, to social media," and features ads exclusive to Trojan Brand products.

References
  1. Tone, Andrea (2002). Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America. New York: Hill and Wang. p. 50. ISBN 0-8090-3816-1.
  2. Koerner, Brendan (29 September 2006). "The Other Trojan War – What's the best-selling condom in America?". Slate. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012.
  3. Tone, Andrea (2002). Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America. New York: Hill and Wang. p. 188. ISBN 0-8090-3816-1.
  4. Newman, Andrew Adam (18 June 2007). "Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2009. 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.'
  5. Collier, Aine (2007). The Humble Little Condom: A History. Buffalo, N.Y: Prometheus Books.
  6. "About Trojan Condoms". Church & Dwight Co., Inc. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  7. "University of Illinois Dethrones Columbia University to Take Top Spot in the 2012 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card" (Press release). Trojan Condoms. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012 – via PR Newswire.
  8. "2011 Sexual Health Report Card" (PDF). Trojan Condoms. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  9. Rosenbloom, Stephanie (24 September 2006). "Here's Your Syllabus, and Your Condom". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  10. Lucas, Dean (4 March 2007). "Trojan Games". Famous Pictures. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  11. Wetherbee, Brandon (13 November 2012). "Trojan Vibrator Giveaway In D.C. Distributes 3,000 Free Sex Toys (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  12. "Trojan Vibrator Giveaway Ok'd In New York: 4,000 Vibrators Handed Out In Meatpacking District (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  13. "Trojan Man Makes a Riotous Return as your Guide to The Big Sexy World".
  14. "20 People Freaked Out by Spotify's Holiday Condom Ads".
  15. "Introducing: The Pleasure Is Ours, hosted by Cody Ko on iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  16. "The Pleasure Is Ours: Drew Gooden: Why "Fake It Till You Make It" Is Misleading on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
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