No, the Trojan Games are not a real sporting event – they were a fictional viral marketing campaign created by Trojan condoms in 2003 to promote their brand in the United Kingdom.
Introduction
Trojan condoms have been one of the top brands in America for nearly a century. As they expanded into the U.K. market in the early 2000s, Trojan launched an innovative viral marketing effort to introduce themselves – the Trojan Games.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the Trojan Games campaign and its impact. We‘ll explore questions like:
- What exactly were the Trojan Games and were they real?
- How did Trojan use the Games to market themselves?
- What made this campaign so successful and viral?
- How did it exemplify Trojan‘s branding and marketing strategy?
Let‘s start by looking at some background on Trojan as a company and brand.
Trojan Condoms Company Overview
Trojan has dominated the American condom industry for decades. Here are some key facts about the iconic brand:
- Founded in the 1920s, initially under the name Youngs Rubber Company
- Based in Ewing, New Jersey and owned by consumer goods company Church & Dwight
- Approximately 70% market share of US condom sales
- Flagship product is the original Trojan ENZ lubricated latex condom
- Also sell Trojan Magnum, Trojan Ultra Thin, Trojan Ecstasy and more
- Only condom brand with FDA approval to market itself as "clinically proven to help reduce risk of pregnancy and STDs" [1]
- Manufactured solely at a factory in Chesterfield, Virginia producing 1+ million condoms per day
- Parent company Church & Dwight had $2.5 billion in revenue in 2021, with Trojan as a key driver [2]
As this data shows, Trojan has established itself as America‘s predominant condom brand over many decades. But as they expanded internationally in the early 2000s, Trojan needed an innovative marketing strategy tailored to new markets.
The Trojan Games – A Viral Marketing Campaign
In 2003, Trojan condoms prepared to enter the U.K. market in a major way. As part of this launch, their marketing team developed the concept of the Trojan Games – a fictional international sporting event similar to the Olympics.
They created an entire fake website at trojangames.co.uk describing the Trojan Games in detail. The website described it as a 10-day event being held in Bucharest, Romania featuring various absurd "sports" such as:
- Competitive shaving
- "Rubber" disk throwing
- Blindfolded massage
- "Sex" kissing championship
- Endurance tickling
The site included fake history, news, athlete profiles, ticket info, and more, resembling coverage of a legitimate global sporting event. See the screenshots below:
Homepage of the original Trojan Games website (via TrojanGames.co.uk, 2003)
Fake "history" page from the Trojan Games website (via TrojanGames.co.uk, 2003)
The Trojan Games were designed as a viral marketing hoax – a way to generate buzz and interest in the Trojan brand in an amusing, eye-catching way as they entered the UK market.
And it worked. The Trojan Games website and concept spread rapidly in 2003, with many initial visitors believing it was real. It triggered coverage in the British media and marketing industry press, amplifying the viral effect. [3]
Ultimately, the Trojan Games campaign generated huge awareness for Trojan condoms as they launched in the UK. It captured public attention in a creative way that aligned with their brand image – fun, playful and youthful.
Impact and Analysis
The Trojan Games exemplified an ingenious viral marketing strategy that delivered big results:
Brand Awareness – The games garnered exceptional media coverage and public buzz, introducing Trojan effectively to the UK as a fun, bold brand.
Website Traffic – The campaign drove significant traffic to Trojan‘s sites and likely increased sales. Unfortunately exact figures are not available publicly.
Social Spread – In the early 2000s, viral social sharing online was still relatively novel. The Trojan Games capitalized on this to spread organically.
Humor – By using absurd fake sports and events, the campaign aligned with Trojan‘s desired brand personality – youthful, lively and funny.
Creativity – The Trojan Games broke through the clutter and captured attention thanks to the unique, creative concept.
Misdirection – Initially tricking people into believing the games were real generated added interest and sharing when the hoax was revealed.
The Trojan Games campaign has become a famous case study in viral marketing and leveraging humor in advertising. It took an innovative approach to introducing the brand in a new market and has likely influenced other marketing hoaxes and stunts since.
Conclusion
In summary, while the Trojan Games did not exist as a real event, they served their purpose as an immensely successful viral marketing campaign for Trojan condoms. By analyzing the campaign and its results, we see how Trojan leveraged creativity, humor and misdirection to launch themselves memorably in the UK market.
The Trojan Games stand as an early exemplar of viral internet marketing and the power of blending entertainment with advertising. For Trojan, the fake games scored a real marketing triumph still remembered today.
