The Trojan Man

Most advertisements seen on television today involve sex in some form of way. This is probably because many people believe that “sex sells.” A lot of these ads make sex or sexy things look pleasant and relaxing and that probably make more people want to buy their product or even have more sex. Some ads even have hidden subliminal messages involving sex and some people don’t even realize it. Of course sex is natural and everyone does it or maybe will do it at some point in their lives, but maybe these ads exaggerate the whole concept of sex. Many ads make sex look like the most adventurous and desirable thing to do on planet Earth but, is it really? Sex can bring pleasure but it can also bring consequences. Instead of showing the good pleasurable side of sex all of the time, why not create an ad that would want people to protect themselves from the filthy side. It’s common knowledge that condoms are used for protection during sex, but there are many different kinds and brands to choose from. Trojan Condoms created a convincing commercial a couple of years ago that would make people want to buy their brand of condoms to protect themselves from the filthy side. Two men were in a laundry mat staring at all the women, but at the same time seeing the various infections that these women had. Some had enormous blistered bumps on their faces and crabs hanging out of their pants. One of the guys handed the other one a Trojan condom and suddenly all of the women looked normal. The closing slogan read “Evolve, use a condom every time.” This commercial used pathos and logos to try and grab the audience attention. The intended message they want to put out is use their condoms and reduce the chance of catching those infections just in case someone runs into a situation like that. It plays an emotional role on the audience because some people who’ve had a STD before is reminded of the misery and discomfort and would want to protect them from ever going through it again. Also, those who never had a STD could just see the disgusting images in the commercial and know that it’s not something they want to have. Maybe they would want to purchase the Trojan brand condoms to prevent it.

            The fact that they display all of the women with the infections is a clear reason to believe that this commercial was made intentionally for men. Women buy condoms too, but more men buy them because they are the ones who actually have to wear them. Any typical guy checks out women and maybe wants to do those desirable things with them. Logos play a role in this commercial by getting inside a males mind. Any woman could be beautiful on the outside but what does their insides look like? Use this Trojan condom just in case her insides are filthy. This was the reason for all of the women looking normal after the guy received the condom. The audience was chosen based on who wears the condoms and think about sex more. They used what could be a real life situation to sell their product.

            By showing what some STDs and infections look like could have hit an emotional spot for everyone. Who wants to catch something that looks so gross? The thought of it could make a person sick and make them want to purchase a Trojan condom. Pathos plays a big role in this commercial because many people have dealt with a STD or infection before. Seeing those effects could bring back painful memories. Why not purchase the Trojan condom to prevent that from ever happening again? Even though the commercial is not clear on which STDs or infections are being imitated, the sight of it is disgusting enough to know it’s something no one would want to catch. The imagery used in this commercial could be one of the many reasons why someone would want to purchase a Trojan condom. However, this could also be a negative affect for the commercial. Some people can’t stand to look at sickening things. It could make someone’s stomach turn upside down. What if someone is eating? In this case someone would probably turn the commercial off and not get the whole concept of it. The Trojan condom would not be wanted any more or maybe less by them.

             Even though mostly women were showed with the crabs hanging out of their pants and the blisters on their face, there was a quick view of a guy with crabs hanging out of his pants about 24 seconds into the video. This is really when the audience is taken into consideration. Even though this commercial is more likely for men, the fact that one guy was shown with something shows that women need to protect themselves from guys also. Maybe they could buy the Trojan condom just in case a guy doesn’t have one. The main focus is on men because they are the ones who are probably going to use the condom but they also did not forget about women. Taking everyone into consideration could be a good step in advertisement.

            Overall, the commercial had a few shaky elements, but most of them were good. After all, everyone will still continue to have sex so why not use the condom that takes everyone into consideration? Why not use the condom that keeps it real and puts the truth in their advertisements? Why not use the condoms that actually take the time to advertise for the people? Not many condoms advertise, but at the end of the day the choice is all up to the person. Trojan just makes the choice a lot easier.

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GRYGFwqGsk&feature=related