Trojan "Ask for Consent"

At colleges and universities across the country, there was, and still is, a growing concern over the fact that sexual assault on campus is a real problem. Students and their parents are acutely aware of the issue and of the perceived missteps made by some school administrations.

Efforts by activists and students have brought a heightened sense of urgency and media attention to the issue, and as a result, many college women are more anxious about the risk of becoming a victim of non-consensual sex than ever before. Conversely, some college men feel that they are being unfairly stereotyped as potential aggressors.

As the recognized leader in advocating for healthy sexual behavior among consenting adults, Trojan was uniquely positioned to help both sides of this equation come to terms with how to behave, react, and communicate with one another positively on this highly charged issue. The end goal was that the conversation of consent would become a part of everyday life.

A microsite was created as a home-base for the consent campaign. It featured a way for students to take the online pledge, see the current pledge count, download posters, read about consent, and locate the schools participating in the college consent tour.

Leveraging Trojan as the endorsing brand, we targeted college campuses by working with various media channels such as newspapers, radio, out of home, web banners and social media. "College Consent Days" were held at participating colleges around the country where a booth was set up in high-traffic campus locations. Students were invited to come out and take a pledge to help create a culture of consent, share their pledge on social media, and collect a Trojan/Consent swag bag.

In addition to the Consent Days held on campus, a series of late-night, out-of-home experiences were set up to serve as "Late-Night Reminders" for students at times considered more common for sexual activity to occur. The goal was to remind them to make sure they have received explicit consent from their partner before having protected sex. Glow-in-the-dark messaging included sidewalk clings, decals along the pathways to the dorms, and hand stamps given out by popular bars around town.

Sponsored by the "Ask For Consent" campaign, ice breaker trivia nights were held for incoming freshman at participating campuses. Welcome swag bags were handed out, mixed with trivia fun and conversations about consent on campus and in everyday life. 

Trojan's "Ask For Consent" campaign made national headlines, including the Huffington Post and The New York Times. Adding to the media attention was Trojan's partnership with YouTube Vlogger and peer sex educator, Laci Green. Laci created web videos talking about consent and attended the on-campus activation at UC Berkely. At the event, she encouraged students to make consent a part of campus conversation and life, shared her advice on how to initiate the conversation, and discussed why consent is so important.