View source for Trojan (brand)

{{Short description|Brand of condoms and sexual lubricants}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{missing information|sections on, for instance, range of products|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox Brand
| logo = [[File:Trojan logo.svg|210px]]
| name = Trojan
| image = [[File:Trojan her pleasure.jpg|210px]]
| currentowner = [[Church & Dwight]] Company
| origin = [[United States]]
| introduced     = {{start date and age|1916}}
| discontinued=
| related =
| markets =
| previousowners = Fay and Youngs (1916)<br />Youngs Drug Products (1919)<br /> [[Carter-Wallace]] (1985)<br /> [[Church & Dwight]] (2001)
| trademarkregistrations=
| ambassadors    = 
| tagline        = Trojan. Pleasure you want. Protection you trust.
| website= {{URL|https://www.trojanbrands.com/en|trojanbrands.com}}
}}
'''Trojan''' is a brand name of [[condom]]s and [[personal lubricant|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 (manufacturer)|Julius Schmid]], who had made condoms from animal intestines starting in the 1880s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tone|first=Andrea|title=Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America|year=2002|publisher=Hill and Wang|location=New York|isbn=0-8090-3816-1|page=50}}</ref>

As of 2006, 70.5% of condoms purchased in United States drugstores are Trojan brand.<ref name="slate">{{cite web|title=The Other Trojan War – What's the best-selling condom in America?|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2150552/|last=Koerner|first=Brendan|date=29 September 2006|work=Slate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109065741/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/number_1/2006/09/the_other_trojan_war.html|archive-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>

== 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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tone|first=Andrea|title=Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America|year=2002|publisher=Hill and Wang|location=New York|isbn=0-8090-3816-1|page=188}}</ref> Trojan began advertising condoms in 1927 through an ad placed in a trade magazine for pharmacists.<ref name="Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/business/media/18adcol.html |title=Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms |first=Andrew Adam |last=Newman |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=28 April 2009 |date=18 June 2007 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323183735/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/business/media/18adcol.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|first=Aine|last=Collier|year=2007|title=The Humble Little Condom: A History|location=Buffalo, N.Y|publisher=Prometheus Books}}</ref> As of 2009, Trojan produces 30 different varieties of condoms.<ref name="Church">{{cite web|url=http://www.trojancondoms.com/Resources/AboutUs.aspx|title=About Trojan Condoms|publisher=Church & Dwight Co., Inc.|access-date=28 April 2009|archive-date=28 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528123304/http://www.trojancondoms.com/Resources/AboutUs.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Unlike other brands, Trojan manufactures some of its condoms in the United States. Church and Dwight has a factory located at 1851 Touchstone Dr, South Chesterfield, VA. The facility was built in 1988 by the Safetex Corp. to manufacture Saxon condoms. In the mid-1990s, Trojan, then owned by [[Carter-Wallace]], sought a new manufacturing facility. Safetex announced the closure of its [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield]] factory. Carter-Wallace purchased and modernized the factory in 1995, expanding it to more than three times its original size.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-09 |title=Chesterfield's Trojan Condom Plant Announces Expansion |url=https://m.styleweekly.com/richmond/chesterfields-trojan-condom-plant-announces-expansion/Content?oid=20037718 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Style Weekly |language=en-us |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605165950/https://m.styleweekly.com/richmond/chesterfields-trojan-condom-plant-announces-expansion/Content?oid=20037718 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May of 2023, Church and Dwight announced a $27-million expansion to its Chesterfield manufacturing plant, where they plan to produce an innovative scent-boosting laundry product.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CBN |date=2023-05-01 |title=Church & Dwight Co., Inc. to Expand Operation in Chesterfield |url=https://chesterfieldbusinessnews.com/2023/church-dwight-co-inc-to-expand-operation-in-chesterfield/ |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Chesterfield Business News |language=en-US |archive-date=18 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250918123344/https://chesterfieldbusinessnews.com/2023/church-dwight-co-inc-to-expand-operation-in-chesterfield/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== 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.<ref>{{cite press release|title=University of Illinois Dethrones Columbia University to Take Top Spot in the 2012 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-of-illinois-dethrones-columbia-university-to-take-top-spot-in-the-2012-trojan-sexual-health-report-card-rankings-175387711.html|access-date=21 December 2012|publisher=Trojan Condoms|via=PR Newswire|date=23 October 2012|archive-date=18 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118030256/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-of-illinois-dethrones-columbia-university-to-take-top-spot-in-the-2012-trojan-sexual-health-report-card-rankings-175387711.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2011 Sexual Health Report Card|url=http://www.trojancondoms.com/assets/pdfs/2011_SHRC.pdf|publisher=Trojan Condoms|access-date=21 December 2012|archive-date=25 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125015457/http://www.trojancondoms.com/assets/pdfs/2011_SHRC.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rosenbloom|first=Stephanie|title=Here's Your Syllabus, and Your Condom|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/fashion/24condom.html?_r=0|access-date=21 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 September 2006|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226035535/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/fashion/24condom.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>  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 (New York City)|St. John's University]] in last place. The results caused a great deal of controversy. School administrators insisted that students must adhere to [[Roman Catholic]] teachings, which emphasize [[Natural family planning]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

== Notable marketing campaigns ==

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.<ref name="FP">{{cite web| date = 4 March 2007| url = http://www.famouspictures.org/trojan-games/| title = Trojan Games| work = Famous Pictures| access-date = 21 July 2007| last = Lucas| first = Dean| archive-date = 18 June 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130618000557/http://www.famouspictures.org/trojan-games/| url-status = live}}</ref>

Trojan Vibrations gave away a total of 7,000 free vibrators in New York City and Washington, DC, in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/trojan-gives-away-vibrators_n_2122964.html |title=Trojan Vibrator Giveaway In D.C. Distributes 3,000 Free Sex Toys (PHOTOS) |work=The Huffington Post |date=13 November 2012 |access-date=25 February 2014 |first=Brandon |last=Wetherbee |archive-date=2 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302235309/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/trojan-gives-away-vibrators_n_2122964.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/trojan-vibrator-giveaway-oked-brief-shutdown-meatpacking-district_n_1765340.html |title=Trojan Vibrator Giveaway Ok'd In New York: 4,000 Vibrators Handed Out In Meatpacking District (PHOTOS) |work=The Huffington Post |date= 10 August 2012|access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>

By August 2018 a new ad campaign called "Big Sexy World" introduced a new mascot, the Trojan Man. This stirred up controversy. Many people received the ads as "too inappropriate".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trojan Man Makes a Riotous Return as your Guide to The Big Sexy World|date=13 August 2018|url=https://www.adweek.com/agencies/trojan-man-makes-a-riotous-return-as-your-guide-to-the-big-sexy-world/|access-date=18 November 2020|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029234013/https://www.adweek.com/agencies/trojan-man-makes-a-riotous-return-as-your-guide-to-the-big-sexy-world/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=20 People Freaked Out by Spotify's Holiday Condom Ads|website=[[Mashable]]|date=27 December 2012|url=https://mashable.com/2012/12/26/spotify-trojan-condom-ad-commerical/|access-date=18 November 2020|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120064920/https://mashable.com/2012/12/26/spotify-trojan-condom-ad-commerical/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A podcast hosted by [[Cody Ko]] called ''The Pleasure Is Ours'' – sponsored by Trojan and produced by [[iHeartRadio]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Introducing: The Pleasure Is Ours, hosted by Cody Ko on iHeartRadio|url=https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-pleasure-is-ours-71841387/episode/introducing-the-pleasure-is-ours-hosted-71841400/?|access-date=2020-10-19|website=iHeartRadio|language=en|archive-date=21 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021214559/https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-pleasure-is-ours-71841387/episode/introducing-the-pleasure-is-ours-hosted-71841400/|url-status=live}}</ref> premiered on October 1, 2020, featuring YouTuber [[Drew Gooden (comedian)|Drew Gooden]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Pleasure Is Ours: Drew Gooden: Why "Fake It Till You Make It" Is Misleading on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drew-gooden-why-fake-it-till-you-make-it-is-misleading/id1523713325?i=1000493210498|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024053644/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drew-gooden-why-fake-it-till-you-make-it-is-misleading/id1523713325?i=1000493210498|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.trojanbrands.com/en Trojan official site]
{{Church & Dwight}}
{{condom}}

[[Category:American brands]]
[[Category:Carter-Wallace]]
[[Category:Church & Dwight brands]]
[[Category:Condom brands]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1916]]