Trojan’s New Ads Are Subtle, Playful and Even Safe for Kids

Colangelo's new TV ads for Trojan are refreshingly quiet and subtle, with adults and a male teenager alluding to sex without snickering or blushing. That said, the subject behind the dialogue-driven ads, which break today and were directed by Gavin O'Connor in his commercial debut, is never in doubt.

In "Big Date," the teen, in an interesting role reversal, plants a condom in the shirt pocket of his middle-aged dad who's leaving for a date. "Miss You" shows a boy longing for his traveling dad as much as his mom misses her man, only to smile when she finds a Trojan present from him in a dresser. "Happy Birthday" is the only ad set in bed, with a thirtysomething couple celebrating some early morning action. But hey, they're relaxed about it, so you don't feel creepy watching them.

Indeed, this campaign is more mellow than naughty, so much so that TV networks will air the ads earlier in the evening than they have in the past, according to Dave Clemans, Colangelo's executive creative director.

The tagline, underscored by three simple piano notes, is "Real. Good. Sex."

CREDITS

Client: Church & Dwight

Brand: Trojan

Agency: Colangelo

Executive Creative Director: Dave Clemans

Creative Directors: Chris Stevenson, John Wagner

Art Director: Wendy Shapiro

Agency Executive Producer: Ilene Richardson

Managing Director: Jim O’Neill

Group Account Directors: Elizabeth Geary, Dan Liu

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Production Company: Saville Productions

Executive Producer: Rupert Maconick

Head of Production: Michelle Traviniski

Producer: Jay Spangler

Director of Photography: Mandy Walker

Editorial: The Cutting Room Films

Editor: Brian Sanford

Editorial Executive Producer: Melissa Lubin

Editorial Senior Producer: Eytan Gutman

Color: Light of Day

Colorist, Online Editor: Joe Wenkoff

Flame, Visual Effects: Colin Stackpole

Sound Mixer: Walter Bianco