We tend to minimize the role of advertising in these important social causes. There are wonderfully constructive social projects in which advertising has played phenomenal roles. The use of condoms in India is one of those instances where without the creative advertisements--social marketing--India's family planning program would have stagnated and fertility rates would have stayed high for a long time. The government subsidies that went towards Nirodh, and go towards such programs even now, are worth every damn bit!
Manufacturing condoms that would appeal to users ain't no easy task. Through the years, a new breakthrough: We are talking about custom-fit condoms: "60 sizes, in combinations of 10 lengths and nine circumferences."
What's the urgency about this?
As the custom-fit condom company, Global Protection Corp., pressed the F.D.A. and industry standards associations for changes, a key priority was smaller sizes, said the company’s president, Davin Wedel. Until recently, standard condoms had to be at least 6.69 inches long, but studies find the average erect penis is roughly an inch shorter.
If it ain't the right fit, then we have a great deal of public health complications. Men, and women too, might not want to use condoms. Keep in mind that condoms not only serve in birth control, but also in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Now, Americans can have custom-fit protectors.
Now, Americans can have custom-fit protectors.
The custom condoms, marketed under the brand name myONE Perfect Fit, come in lengths of 4.9 to 9.4 inches and circumferences of 3.5 to 5 inches. (Standard condoms are typically 6.7 to 8.3 inches long and 3.9 to 4.5 inches in circumference.) The template that men are given to measure themselves does not include inches or centimeters, instead using randomly ordered letters and numbers. One man might be E99, another Z22.
Guess what? Within hours of launch, "customers had ordered condoms in all 60 sizes."
What is bizarre is this:
Although custom condoms became available in Europe in 2011, sold by TheyFit, which Global Protection purchased, it took years of pressing the F.D.A. and two standards organizations, ASTM International and ISO, for the devices to reach the United States,
In 2011? All because of the FDA's regulatory process?
I wonder what some of the latest Nirodh ads in India look like.
Here's a beauty from another country that I blogged about a while ago:
2 comments:
You lot are plain crazy ! Consumerism gone berserk !! Whatever next :)
The real lesson from this story is what Bill Gates is doing. He is funding such competitions not to indulge American weirdry (!) He couldn't care two hoots for FA approval. He is trying to do this primarily to fight AIDS in Africa and Asia. Consider the sort of stuff he is promoting and funding - condoms use, innovative toilets, free distribution of mosquito nets .... These are the non glamorous, but the most effective public health solutions. These are what governments should be doing. Instead he is the one doing it. He truly is a living saint.
By the way, our giggles were less so from the ads those days and more so because they would be inflated as balloons and let loose in cricket stadiums during a test match.
A small correction: The condom discussion that I have here is not unconnected to the work that the Gates Foundation is doing. Further, you need to keep in mind that getting men (and women) in developing countries to use condoms is extremely difficult. What seems like consumerism to you is not really consumerism--in this issue of public health (and avoiding unwanted pregnancies) we need to recognize that the less boring and clumsy condoms are, the more they will be used. This is not like the consumerism of soaps and ice creams.
Ah, yes, the balloons. I always used to wonder where those guys managed to buy Nirodh in the first place. I lived a sheltered life ;)
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