Lil Dicky, the chart-topping MC, is back with more comedy gold for Trojan condoms.
David Burd, whose 2015 debut studio album Professional Rapper hit No. 1 on both Billboard’s rap and comedy charts, anchored a clever, nervous, long-form PSA earlier this year, sponsored by the condom brand, about the dangers of unprotected bathroom sex.
Now, he’s starring in two much slicker but plenty ridiculous new TV commercials, created with agency Colangelo, slated to first air this Sunday during the MTV Video Music Awards. (Trojan has a broader partnership with the youth-focused network, funding its how-to guide on sex and relationships.)
Trojan is jumping on the 50 Shades of Grey movie hype bandwagon. But the condom brand doesn’t seem all that impressed by the franchise’s BDSM-light theme.
A new two-minute slapstick ad (directed by Laura Murphy, best known for her work on MTV’s Girl Code) pokes fun at a man and woman in couples therapy, discussing their misadventures trying to use the popular romance novel as a sort of Bondage for Dummies—even though the dude hasn’t bothered to read it.
Unsurprisingly, he’s the bigger doofus, though she also pulls her weight. And thankfully, she does kick him in the face, at one point. Eventually the therapist waves some magic word wand about feelings, and the couple rush off to bone in the car.
The takeaway, apparently, is that Trojan saves the day by making bad try-hard sex into good comfortable sex. “Get out of the grey area, into 50 shades of real pleasure,” reads the tagline.A 15-second teaser for the longer ad will also run in movie theaters—50 Shades of Grey, the film adaption, comes out Feb. 13, and the promotional push is in full swing, with rabid fans claiming they’re watching the YouTube trailer on repeat and Deadline Hollywood predicting a $60 million opening.
In other words, Trojan is making a play to charm people who are curious about the kink but ultimately deem it all too weird for their own enjoyment. (For what it’s worth, BDSM experts seem to think the book is nonsense, too.)
Regardless, everyone can agree that the guy in the Trojan ad should have picked another safe word.
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
In 1957, when Elvis recorded "All Shook Up," grinding and groping was referred to as heavy petting. Today, it's called an ad campaign for adult sexual aids. To launch a trio of new lubricants, Church & Dwight's Trojan brand picked a dreamy, breathy, super-slow cover of the classic Elvis hit by the indie duo Avila. The result is a pretty darn effective set of spots from agency The Joey Company featuring couples in various stages of romantic dry humping. But it's OK, viewers, because they're married, as evidenced by the prominent wedding rings on display. (There must still be backlash against TV ads for this genre of products, or marketers might be able to skip this too-obvious prop altogether.) The attractive folks in the ads aren't the only ones getting lucky. The song shot to the top 10 on iTunes, where it's been for six weeks. It found its way into the Trojan campaign via L.A.-based music marketing and licensing firm MediaHorse, which also landed Avila's cover of "My Favorite Things" for a Victoria's Secret holiday campaign. See all the spots below.
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