http://amysrobot.com/files/trojan_ad.JPG
This trojan ad is one that I heard on the radio while I was flipping through other ads for this assignment and I decided this would work really well. The picture that I found represents it pretty well and can serve as a good enough representation of it. I chose this ad because I think it is pretty controversial to advertise condoms in public spaces. This ad features a metaphor where people that do not use trojan condoms are like pigs, which this picture describes quite literally. Like the ad on the radio, the ad also features the consumption of alcohol with this picture taking place in a bar and the radio ad mentioning alcohol also. The main particapants in this picture are the couple standing by the bar, made to stand out mainly by the lighting and the mans white shirt. This is the only male in the ad, with the rest being represented like pigs because apparently they do not use trojan condoms. The modality of this ad is medium because it has been basically assembled with the many pigs that have been added and the specific lighting on the couple at the bar.
This ad is supposed to be a snapshot of a night at a bar somewhere where these men are hanging out and talking to what seems like a bunch of disinterested women. The one woman that seems interested is the one who has found the man that uses a condom. This is a different take on the whole protected sex campaign from one of the main condom companies points of view. I think that this ad is geared towards both genders, but sends each a different message. For the males, the ad is trying to make you realize how dirty it is by comparing unprotected sex to being an animal. For the females, it also seems to bring up a cleanliness issue, but also seems to say that the only men worth meeting are those that use a condom.
I think that the use of public spaces for these advertisement is controversial because for many people, this is not an appropriate thing to be talking about publically. I think that by putting this ad on the radio, it may be a little less of a problem for these people because there is no need for the visual side of it, which I believe is most bothersome for people. For me, I don’t disagree with seeing these ads in public spaces because I feel it is necessary to get this out there so that people will not have unprotected sex. I realize that this is not an ad directly for this purpose, but I believe it sends a similar message that will have a very similar end result. This ad is not really trying to shape peoples public spaces or lives, but rather their personal lives. It does try to have people who view it buy a product and also realize how important a condom is, though maybe not in the most conventinal way.
While I was doing this research, I really started looking at how the people in the ads were used to portray the message of the ad. I also started to notice the differences between ads geared at men vs. women vs. both. I used to look at ads and just see the words and the pictures and the obvious messages. Now when I look at them, I look at these things and see the larger picture and how they all fit together subtly to create a complete ad. I think that this discussion about modality and the particapants in these ads really made me look at these ads as a whole and to get their full meaning from them.
4 Comments
I think the most interesting part of this advertisement is the fact that the caption is geared specifically for women. “Choose the one who uses a condom every time”. I think this is interesting, because it’s really not Trojan promoting themselves, they’re promoting men who use condoms, and not even specifically Trojan condoms. In this way, the ad serves as a sort of public service announcement for men who use condoms versus those who don’t, and it doesn’t work like most ads. The sort of subliminal advertising then arises, as when women may be in a position to choose which condoms to get, it perceives Trojan as a brand with “class” since they chose to put a PSA in a magazine rather than a traditional advertisement.
I remember the first time I saw this TV commercial. It was during the afternoon and on one of the younger-orientated stations like MTV or VH1 and I was shocked that they were actually able to air this. After seeing it several times now though, I think it is actually a pretty smart ad. The fact that it was able to generate an emotion in me made me more aware of it every time it came on. The ad itself is very eye catching from the start zooming in on all of the ‘pigs’ in the bar until they rest the camera on one of the pigs who is having a hard time connecting with a young woman at the bar. He leaves and walks over to the bathroom area and buys a condom, turning him into a man. He then returns to the female is she is instantly more interested in him all because he bought a condom. I think that while this ad is inappropriate for younger audiences, it works well for the 14-30ish audience that watches VH1 and MTV. Like Chris said, it tells men that if they don’t use condoms they are pigs and tells women that they should only be interested in men that use protection. In this way, this ad is very successful for Trojan and in possible pregnancy and STD prevention. This makes me think of the new ad they made… They show a man’s hands ripping open a Trojan pack and pulling out an ‘invisible’ condom and shows him pantomiming the movements to put it on while text explains that it is ‘as if your wearing nothing’. Comparing these two, the first is much more appropriate for use in public space and much more successful in that it appeals to both genders. One issue with these ads, and condom adds in general though, is that they address heterosexual couples only. Laurie also brought this up with one of my images from the previous assignment. It is interesting that in all condom ads shown in public space, none are oriented to the gay community exclusively or try to include them in any way. This seems odd because STD’s are such a big concern when it comes to gay sex issues, and no one is addressing ways to prevent them, like the use of condoms. While an ad generated to the gay population would be difficult to produce in an appropriate way I think it is very necessary that someone attempts to create one.
I agree with what Michael said about who the company are trying to target through this ad. It’s not the men, who are the ones the product is made for, but for the women, who would choose the men based on the product that they already have. It’s not really about them having the better product, but showing people that it is better to have one than not. Because they are a well known company, they don’t have to flash their products around nearly as much as other companies, and so can focus their ads on other aspects.
I am glad Lynsie brought up the heteronormativity of this ad. Also, I think this ad reinforces gender norms in odd ways–the woman waiting for the man to pick her up, the man taking responsibility for getting the condom, the girl as sexual object, etc. What male gender norms are reinforced do you think?