American Foundation for AIDS Research, October 2004
Kristen Kresge

Rise and shine: Global Protection boasts the first FDA-approved glow-in-the-dark condom, called Night Light. (Photo courtesy of Global Protection)

From a quirky website animated with a bouncing yellow condom man, Global Protection Corporation peddles sexual protection of the zaniest sort. Glow-in-the-dark condoms, the US’s only patented pleasure condom, and lollipops where candy is substituted with rubber and adorned with smiley faces are among the company’s leading products. Condoms of all colors and flavors are made to look friendly, and even fun. But don’t be fooled: safe sex is the top priority at Global Protection.

Getting people to love latex has been a passion of company founder and president Davin Wedel since his undergraduate days at Tufts University. From there he partnered with classmate Adam Glickman to start the specialty store Condomania. Wedel then became founder and president of Global Protection. His goal was to make condoms as socially acceptable as toothpaste. And according to Wedel, the best way to do this was to focus on the pleasure of condoms rather than dwell on their ability to prevent sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.

“We try to associate the condom with things people like and convince them that condoms can augment their experience. That’s what we were founded on,” said Wedel. This is increasingly important at a time when many suffer from “condom fatigue.” As he pointed out, “people aren’t afraid anymore, so you need to constantly remind them.”

Global Protection’s top seller is a patented condom that enhances the sexual experience by increasing friction for the penis. Pleasure Plus has a ribbed latex pouch on the end of the condom that adds sensation. Introduced in 1999 as the first condom with “pleasure” in its name, Pleasure Plus is a favorite of the health care community because it inspires people to use condoms more consistently. A study conducted at Emory University found that this condom was preferred eight to one over the best-selling Trojan prophylactic.

But the novelty of the Pleasure Plus condom lies as much in the design of the latex as in the packaging. It resides in a sleek metal tin with rounded edges, rather than the typical cardboard box. The package calls attention to the product when shelved alongside other brands and can be thrown into a briefcase or pocket as easily as a tin of breath mints. “Condoms have always been packaged the same way,” said Wedel. But when partners unwrap a Pleasure Plus, it appears cool and sophisticated. “It’s very sexy,” he remarked. “Very different.”

Another Global Protection product is less about pleasure and more about playfulness. “Rise and Shine” is the motto of Night Light, the only FDA-approved glow-in-the-dark condom. “Inherently, condoms are taking something away from the sexual experience. This is a condom that adds something,” said an enthusiastic Wedel. “It’s literally making it fun.”

Condomania’s most profitable rubber innovation is the custom-fitted condom. The contraceptive emporium hawks 55 different sizes of condoms on its website and claims they are both safer and more enjoyable. After determining their size with a fitting kit, men can order condoms anywhere from three to ten inches in length. According to Glickman, chief executive officer of Condomania, the launch of custom-fitted condoms was the most successful in the industry. So successful in fact — more than 100,000 sold — that the company is expanding to 95 sizes soon.

Condomania’s niche is in its direct marketing to consumers through its stores and website. Global Protection does not sell directly to consumers. Nongovernmental organizations and health clinics buy the bulk of its condoms, while retail outlets purchase the remainder.

A visit to the condom aisle at the drugstore proves that all companies are searching for ways to entice customers. Durex, the world’s leading brand, markets choices like Ultimate Feeling, Enhanced Pleasure, and Performax. The Performax, or Extended Pleasure, condom comes with a dab of the anesthetic benzocaine. Introduced to Americans in 2001, this product allegedly controls climax and therefore prolongs sexual performance.

And as condom sales in the US rise, many people predict more creative approaches to making condoms. “The biggest problem with condoms is that people think they don’t feel good. We found that if we provide a condom that feels good, we could get people to use them,” said Richard Kline, vice president of marketing at Trojan. But for those shopping around for safety, Trojan also offers an Extra Strength condom that is advertised as stronger than regular latex.

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