Thursday, May 15, 2014

Trojan!

Trojan--SOL

Trojan is a relatively new song by Seattle-based hip hop artist Sol, a thought-proving melody about safe sex and condom use. He uses the Trojan brand of condom to discuss the reasons why he believes it's important to correctly use condoms, referencing one night stands: "She let me inside and she don't even know my name," and the value of properly assessing the effectively of the condom: "So careful, I've never let the condom rip and don't plan to." The chorus repeats, "That Trojan, I pack that sh** when I'm getting down, that Trojan, my best friend when I sleep around." He signs off at the end of the song, "Safe sex."

What do you think of the song? Does singing about condom use surprise you? Can you think of other blatant pro-condom references in media? Do we often see/ notice/ become aware of condom use in the songs we listen to/ movies we watch/ news we read? Could you see this song being effectively used as a pro-safe-sex tool? Do you have any concerns? 

Condom Ad

This condom ad, released only 3 days ago, depicts an assortment of couples in a plethora of sexual acts, highlighted by Edith Piaf's "Je ne regrette rien"-- I don't regret anything. This is the theme of the ad, which, after a presentation of the sexual acts, concludes with a simple picture of a condom. In the "Behind the Scenes," the directors speak (in French and German) about the pleasure gained from using condoms--rather, considering that protecting oneself is pleasurable.

What are your thoughts about the assortment of couples in the clip? Do you think this is representative? What messages did you initially get from the directors? Do you think this is provocative and effective advertising? In what ways? 

---What do these two ads make you think about? Are you impressed/ uninterested/ engaged? Thoughts? 

7 comments:

  1. That song definitely surprises me. Especially being hip-hop, because there are so many songs out about sex and very explicit songs at that. I think it will be a positive influence on the youth, kind of how we had discussed in class that it will make it's way into the culture and that will help get rid of the stigma around sex.
    As for the condom ad, I think it's really a step in the right direction having the idea that being protected while having sex can still be pleasurable. It seems to be thought that using condoms, etc decreases that pleasure aspect and probably deters people from making an effort to use protection. So this ad could be a great way to start getting rid of that idea.

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  2. I think the song sends out a great message because it depicts how you can still have all the sex you want with different people and still be safe about it. Often in media, it seems like people just have sex, and there is discussion about contraception or depictions of it. As well, the song doesn't song like a PSA. It songs like regular rap songs you would hear only it adds how important and cool condoms are. However, it does have some product advertising...which is a totally different conversation, but still I just wanted to note that. I think if the song gets popular it could spark more influence for people to use condoms or it could just be another catchy tune people listen to but don't fully encompass the message.
    I think most ads for condoms are good ones. They are selling a product that does do good work and is good for the society. I think the problem is that most ads that are on the more witty side tend to be from Europe, like this one. There need to be more ads like this in the states, because I feel when I watch condom ads here they are mostly about people in clubs looking to get lucky. Maybe there is some culture differences, but not everyone who uses condoms are single in club. Couples can use condoms! As well, while this is mostly cultural, most of these ads are hetero-normative which may cause people who are not heterosexual to feel as though they don't need a contraception (aka condoms are only for vaginal sex). Condoms and other external contraception is a good idea for anyone engaging in sexual activity. The song and ad do send positive messages, nonetheless, and therefore I think they will be effective.

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  3. I was similarly surprised with this promotion of condoms and safe sex in a hip hop song, but I agree that it has the potential to make people, especially adolescents and young adults, think of condoms in a more positive light, perhaps being seen as more "cool" as the song is bringing condom use into mainstream media. Having a celebrity/role model promote and suggest such behavior is always a good way to get the young people to listen, and hopefully, change their behaviors and conceptions of condoms as well.
    I think that, because the condom ad was so much more erotic and graphic than most ads these days, it would have a more powerful effect and be more provocative than condom ads that merely advertise their safety components and are not as direct with the possible messages of added pleasure. I definitely think that the direct addressing and images of pleasure will add to its appeal.

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  4. I think the song is definitely out of the ordinary in relation to the common themes we see in the music industry related to sex. I think many of the messages that are present in the music industry are related to violence, coercion, hetero-normativity, and oppression. I heard a rap song the other day that explicitly said "you're gonna fuck with me". So I think this specific song talking about having sage sex is out of the norm and it is a good thing. I don't know how much influence this song could have on people's behavior, but I sure hope it does.

    I think the ad had a lot of explicit material and would therefore never be allowed in the U.S. I don't know how effective the communication of safe sex was in this add, because apart from the song and "not regretting anything", I didn't see the point of all those couples was, in my opinion, more about making the ad 'sexy' for the audiences. But regardless, I think it's a good idea to promote safe sex in any way possible.

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  5. I love the song! I actually listened to this song when you posted it on Facebook the other day, Laurel. I showed it to a couple of my friends and we have been listening to it since. I think that safe sex messages promoted in this manner have the potential to transform what we think of as the typical safe sex campaign or television ad.

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  6. I actually really love the song! My friend and I thought it was interesting because we thought that hip hop songs generally address sex in such a casual, spontaneous way and it makes us imagine crazy sex at times. But this song addresses condom use in an obvious way promoting an important message about safe sex and condom use. I think its such an effective campaign.

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  7. I think that the song is really interesting and a huge step in the right direction. It is rare to see promotions for safe sex in music, especially songs like this one and it is refreshing to know that it is something that people are starting to think about and include in every day life. As for the condom add I though that it was really interesting. Although I thought that it would have been better if they had shown condoms throughout the add it was whity, interesting and definitely immediately caught your attention. One thing that I particularly liked about this add was the fact that it showed such a wide variety of couples and did not stick to only the heterosexual couples like would often be seen in an add. I agree with Rebecca that most of the adds that make any sort of impression or are even mildly interesting seem to be from Europe.. However, I also agree that it is doubtful that this add would be allowed to be shown in America because of its extremely graphic material.

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