June 19, 2007
Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms
The The New York Times reports on a commercial which aired for the first time last night on two of the four major networks. It caught my eye only because cellphones are used as a prop, but it's interesting. [via TV Barn Ticker]
In a commercial for Trojan condoms that premiered last night, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs.
One shuffles to the men’s room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent now smiles at him invitingly.
Fox and CBS both rejected the commercial.
Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention — which may be allowed — and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons.”.
In a written response to Trojan, though, Fox said that it had rejected the spot because, “Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.”
In its rejection, CBS wrote, “"hile we understand and appreciate the humor of this creative, we do not find it appropriate for our network even with late-night-only restrictions.”
Amazing that it was rejected. VWatch the commercial and see for yourself.
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