Design & Prototyping
Planned Parenthood. How to put on a condom, © 2015
Condoms have been around since 11000 B.C. However, these were not the condoms we think of today. The material used for these condoms is still unknown today, but their existence is proved through cave paintings found in the Grotte Des Combarelles located in France (Escobar, 2013). Throughout history people have used condoms for many different reasons. Their original intended use was for the protection against sexually transmitted diseases. The materials and size of condoms have varied significantly. For example in 1400 A.D. a common method in Japan was to use Glan Condoms, which only covered the tip of the penis and were commonly made of either tortoise shell or animal horn. However, in 1500 the materials used for condoms was a piece of linen cloth that was soaked in chemicals then dried. It was then tied onto the base of penis with a piece of ribbon. These are just a few examples of how condoms progress rapidly throughout the centuries.
The “rubber vulcanization process” (Condoms, 2013) was patented by Charles Goodyear in 1844. This is the process in which natural rubber is transformed into the durable material we use for everyday products, including condoms. Originally condoms were made by wrapping penis shaped molds then dipped in chemicals to cure the rubber. The process of which can be seen in this video Vulcanization of Rubber (A&E, 2016). However like anything this process has progressed as technology has progressed.
Manufacturing & Production
The manufacturing process has changed significantly, but still maintain some of the original techniques. For example, molds are still used to dip into the liquid latex mixture, then the mixture is dried and holds the original shape of the mold. A more in depth look at this process can be seen in this video that depicts How Trojan Condoms are made: Trojan Condoms (Trojan, 2012) .
Trojan’s main manufacturing plant is located in Ewing, New Jersey. The company created by Merel Leland Youngs an upstate New Yorker who recognized the potential market for condoms and eventually turned it into one of the most successful markets that still exists today. Trojan condoms still dominate the market at 70% of condoms bought every year. However, while Young’s had the original idea, he couldn’t have done it without the workers he employed to run the manufacturing plants. To this day Trojan employs thousands of workers in it’s many plants located across the nation. Trojan offers a wide variety of jobs to potential employees, these can range anywhere from working warehouse to holding a temporary position through their temporary work program (Trojan).
Working conditions may not be ideal for everyone. Looking through the reviews for Trojan online it is clear that while the company may hold a prestigious name, employees were less than thrilled to continue to work there. There were claims of unfair compensation, and some remarks surrounding Trojan’s need for healthcare. Nor was there any demographics listed for workers by gender or ethnicity.
Marketing
Allison Crist. Condoms,© 2015.
Condoms are primarily marketed towards men. This can be seen through their many commercials in which they depict a male character who is in an intimate position then attempts to use another item such as a sock or rubber boot, the advertisement then ends with a message similar to “be prepared or you might lose out”. While promoting sexual health is an important message, these promotions focus on the purely lustful. It does not promote any messages about the importance of the decision of choosing the right sexual partner. Instead it promotes the ideal of one night stands and possibly dangerous behavior. As a society we tend to promote promiscuous sexual activity for men, while still promoting abstinence for women. This idea is clearly present in the commercials for Trojan. One example can be seen in the first commercial in this video clip Trojan Commercial Compilation . This type of marketing is known as Condom Social Marketing (USAID, 2013).
However, their approach does seem to be effective. This can be seen in their sales. In 1970 Trojans condom sales dominated the market at 56% (Koerner, 2006). This has only increased to 70% in 2015. One of the reasons Trojan has been so successful is due to its name recognition among consumers. Another contributing factor was that the Trojan company was bought by Carter and Wallace Inc. which then sold its consumer products arm to Church & Dwight. This helped the Trojan brand branch adopt new way to advertise to the general population.
Sales
Condoms can be bought at just about any convenience and grocery store. It wasn’t always this way though and in some states it is still technically illegal to sell condoms. An example would be the city of St. Louise. A law passed in 1934 made it “illegal to sell or distribute condoms” (Levin, 2013) , oddly enough this law was still technically in effect, although it wasn’t followed by any means.
Condom prices depend on the type of the condom and the number of condoms in each box. A three pack of condoms averages out to about five dollars, depending on the brand. The largest box offered in most stores is the thirty six pack that only costs twenty dollars. However there are a multitude of places online where one can buy anywhere from five hundred to a thousand pack of condoms for roughly two hundred dollars.
User Support
Trojan has an entire website dedicated to user support. Customers can go here to ask questions by their choice of contact; email, phone call, and even a mailing address for those who wish to write a physical letter. They also provided a graph displaying satisfaction of customers they helped based off of customers ratings on whether “their problem was solved” (Trojan, 2016). This Graph can be seen on the Trojan website.
Alison Crist. Condom Expiration, © 2015.
Maintenance
Condoms themselves don’t require any long time maintenance, other than needing to be thrown out after they expire. But some studies have been done to record the use of condoms in heterosexual couples and the factors associated with the maintenance of this behavior. In the study done by the Research Group on Behaviors in the Field of Health (Factors, 2003), it was observed that a number of factors play into the use of condoms and the reasons why people keep up their regular condom use. These factors were things such as “Having had a STD, personal normative beliefs and positive attitude” (Factors, 2003).
Another way that this is maintained is through programs that provide teens with free access to condoms. Teens risk of infection, STD’s and pregnancy has increased over the years, but with these programs our nation works to decrease the health risks associated with unsafe sex. However, not all programs are widely accepted. In fact most are subjected to harsh criticism and the claim that these programs are only promoting sex, rather than protecting teens. A program that has faced many obstacles is American School Health Association, who strongly advocate for schools to provide protection to its students.
Recycling and Disposal
Condoms are made of latex, which can take anywhere from 1-3 years to decompose. While condoms are made using the sap from rubber trees, this does not make them more biodegradable. In fact most condoms are enhanced with many other harmful chemicals that may make them thinner and more comfortable for the wearer, but don’t make them any healthier for the environment.
One of the biggest mistakes people can make is flushing their condoms. Condoms should be properly disposed of by being tossed into the garbage can and taken away to the dumb where they can decompose in peace. They don’t need to take an underwater adventure and end up harming any aquatic animals. Not to mention the harmful effect that condoms can have on your plumbing! Not to mention that by flushing condoms there is a slight chance that they could end up in water recycling plants and ultimately our “water supply” (Stacey, 2016).
