Ads That Dare Not Speak Their Name: How Trojan Got the Tri-Phoria Into Primetime
In a sign that America is growing up, Trojan's latest "personal massager" campaign is being aired in daytime and early evening slots and has not been rejected by any network they've approached. Previously Trojan was restricted to post-midnight airtime.
The ads for "Tri-Phoria" don't use the v-word nor do they show the product. Interestingly, Trojan gets around that problem by borrowing clichés from just about every other genre of commercials. There's a woman riding a white horse on a beach, as if it were a feminine hygiene spot. Another shakes her hair as if she's advertising shampoo. Then there's a listing of the product's "side effects" a la pharmaceutical advertising. The ad closes with a woman driving across a bridge in a convertible, throwing her scarf into the air, as if it were a car commercial.
Previously, Trojan had borrowed the language of the direct TV/infomercial format, featuring testimonials and "free shipping!" Those ads also didn't show the product.
The New York Times rightly pointed out that until now Trojan and its ilk had suffered from a TV hypocrisy: Drug companies are allowed to advertise erectile dysfunction pills with warnings about four-hour erections any time of day, but adult companies were banished to the ghetto of the wee hours.
By creating ads that don't come right out and say it -- but are nonetheless clear about what the product does -- and by using formats that can't be objected to because they've all been used by other products, Trojan appears to have discovered a way to advertise anything at all, no matter how risqué.
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