Phillyist Interviews... Jim Daniels

After the unhappy revelation last week that Philly is slacking in sexual satisfaction, Phillyist thought we could take matters into our own hands (or phones) and help y'all out. Or at least get some more information from Trojan, the source of the survey. Plus, we were curious what the condom-makers are like. Are they hard-partying lampshade wearers? Lascivious Lady Godiva types?

So, earlier this week, we spoke with Jim Daniels, VP of Marketing at Trojan Condoms in an attempt to find out what in the world is going on in Philadelphia.

I was surprised to see that Philly ranks second from the bottom (well maybe not surprised, we are a little angry sometimes), do you have any thoughts on why that is?
I do not know, no.

(We tried.)

Well, now that Trojan has brought this unhappy problem to light, does it offer any solutions?
Sure, sure it does. What we know from the survey, in general, partners are looking for ways to improve their relationship, whether that be emotionally or physically or both. I don't think that's an earth shattering relationship, I think it's a fact. It doesn't get a lot of attention in the media, but it is a fact. Where Trojan comes in is that it provides a variety of products that people can use to enhance their pleasure, to enhance their sexual health and really enhance their connection together. With condoms that protect against pregnancy, that protect against disease, that can ensure peace of mind during intimacy or sexual activity. The new Ecstasy condom feels like nothing's there because of its wider shape, because it has lubricant on the inside and the outside so it feels more natural for both partners. We also have a line of vibrating products from vibrating rings to a little vibrating mini that's coming out which packs quite a powerful vibration and is discreet.

I've seen these in the drugstores.
And you can also buy them online. We've also found that once you add products to the relationship, it also opens up discussion of "what I like, what I don't like, of what I want to try, what I don't want to try," and that just creates a foundation for a more fulfilling relationship with greater intimacy.

Now that you've got all these products are there any plans for boots on the ground marketing, like how the cigarette companies used to send girls with cigs into bars...
A Trojan Vibrations team?

Yes!
What we are doing, we do consumer events, like Spring Break events. We were in the Gay Pride Parade a couple of weeks ago and we also go with Warped Tour so people who are attending those concerts can come and get information about our condoms, Vibrations, etc. That's about the extent to which we have boots on the ground.

I saw that Texas was ahead of Philadelphia in satisfaction, and Philadelphia and Texas have sort of got a time honored tradition of rivalry, so any thoughts on this?
The survey you saw you actually shows people in Dallas are around the same rate as Philadelphia, low 70s. Dallas, Philly, and Chicago are all around the same rate.

I guess it isn't as bad as I thought. I'll manage to live with it. Finally, I've always been curious about the origin of the Trojan product name. I mean, the way I understand it is that the Greeks attempted to sack Troy and failed, so they set up the Trojan horse and the people of Troy thinking it was a gift took it into the city, but then the Greeks burst forth, and um, started killing people.
There's an interesting narrative there in the history of Trojan condoms. It was Young's Rubber who came up with the brand Trojan around 1926. At that the time, there were different condom manufacturers and different regions had different condom manufacturers out of a garage, out of the back of a shop, etc. There was a high range of quality and reliability, so what Young's Rubber did was they really standardized the quality of products to make sure that the Trojan brand would be known for high quality. They were looking for a symbol for a brand to represent strength, reliability, quality and they came up with the Trojan brand and logo.

I just want to say that the people here working on the Trojan brand, we are absolutely dedicated to advancing the sexual health of our country. The reality is as a nation, the survey talks about cities, but as a nation, I don't know if you know this, but we are one of the most sexually unhealthy nations among all of the developed nations on Earth. We've got 3 million unintended pregnancies every year, we've got 90 million people a year are infected with a STI. There are 60 million people living with an incurable STI, like Herpes or HIV, or AIDS, and yet when we look at sexual acts among American singles, only one in four times involves a condom. So what we're really passionate about is that for those people who choose to be sexually active and are at risk for an unintended pregnancy that they use a condom not one in four times but four out of four times. And we seek to raise awareness through our surveys and through our Trojan Ecstasy condom, or even our new Trojan To Go condom. It's two condoms in a sleek plastic carrying case. It's very discreet; it fits into a wallet or a purse very nicely. The goal here is to make sure that people have a condom with them so that if they are sexually active, they can be protected. So we're trying to raise awareness through surveys and sampling and to remove the barriers for reasons why people don't use condoms and to encourage condom usage. In doing so we hope to have a very positive impact on the sexual health of our nation. That's my little speech and it is a sobering one but it really underscores why we do what we do in bringing products to market that increase sexual pleasure.

So, as it turns out, Jim Daniels is an all-around good guy responsible type, who just like Phillyist, wants people to have fun, be safe, and enjoy one another. If you're encouraged to embark on safe sex, be sure to check out Trojan's website, where you can send for free sample condoms.

Image credit: Flickr user celebdu