London Lovers Unite

As London emerged from its second lockdown, the desire for reconnection and intimacy was palpable. But, in the wake of ever-changing restrictions, few brands were bold enough to claim the narrative as their own.

As a sex positive brand which stands for safe intimacy, Trojan® Brand Condoms were the perfect candidate to lead the charge.  A positive, progressive and inclusive brand, Trojan’s mission is to enable real connection and give people the confidence to have safe and pleasurable sex.  ​

With the Evening Standard’s ‘Be London’s Headline’ competition approaching, our task was to create a bold print concept that would help introduce Trojan’s brand mission to Londoners and encourage them to get back out there and out into the city’s hotspots once again.

Ask single Londoners about their love-lives over the past year and 72% will confirm it’s been tough – even ‘pointless’. Add to this the 71% of 16–29-year-olds in a relationship who live apart, and it’s unsurprising that what united our target audience was an overwhelming feeling loneliness – isolated and starved of physical contact they craved inspiration, reassurance and confidence to help them navigate new protocols and resume relationships. Trojan® Brand Condoms were perfectly positioned to help.

Our idea called on Londoners ‘to unite and enjoy each other responsibly’. With Trojan’s distinctive humour, and without judgement, we wanted to herald the renewed, positive connections between people, and place that make London life so special. London’s landmarks, cafes, pubs, hotspots and venues—the places where both planned and serendipitous connections are forged—offered the perfect tongue-in cheek reference to encourage Londoners back to intimacy.

Five different eye-catching ‘double entendre’ copy lines on five unique cover wraps featured witty one-liners on ‘going out’ and ‘going in’ responsibly. On the Thursday ahead of the first weekend post-lockdown, we had fun with ESI’s masthead statue of Anteros: using his missing arrow to mark key London spots where Londoners could unite in a playful inner wrap featuring a map of London’s favourite primarily outdoor venues with tongue-in-cheek bawdy commentary.

Crucially, this fun invitation drew Londoners into weekly Trojan BrandPosts for a deeper, more important conversation that was much needed. Each BrandPost featured influencer-led and sex expert practical tips, insightful confidence-boosters and empathetic advice on how to navigate new logistics and best practice protocols for dating safely and confidently during a time of covid. PR and social amplified the take-over and each subsequent post ensuring that this free campaign engaged and amused for over 6 weeks.