|
The Top Condom Brands in the U.S. Market What are the top condom brands in the American market today? That is a question many would like to know the answer to. With 15 million Americans contracting STDs each year, people have more and more compelling reasons to consider using a condom when having sex. In the ABC approach to Safe Sex (Abstinence, Be Monogamous, use Condoms), a lot of people are having difficulty in the A part; in fact, most of them tend to drift towards being loyal to one partner or having to resort to using condoms as an option if they have multiple partners. Due to the sensitive nature of the product along with its limited exposure in traditional mainstream media, the condoms market is considered as among the toughest markets to crack. Being on top of any market can mean a lot of things to any product. But, in the condoms industry it means people trust your product, they believe in its ability to prevent pregnancy and, maybe more important, they believe in its ability to prevent the transfer of STDs including the dreaded HIV virus. Based on a study done by Information Resources, Inc., a total of $ 241.6 million worth of condoms were sold in drug stores, supermarkets and discount stores excluding Wal-Mart Stores and online outlets in 2006. The top brands in the US, according to the report are Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Inspiral and Kimono. The following table presents a breakdown of market shares for drugstores sales only: | TOP CONDOM BRANDS (Per Drugstore Sales only, 2006) | | BRAND | Percent Market Share | Dollar Sales
(‘000) | | Trojan | 70.00 % | $114,364 | | Durex | 16.74 % | 27,365 | | Lifestyles | 10.03 % | 16,379 | | Inspiral | 0.76 % | 1,245 | | Kimono | 0.65 % | 1,069 | | Other brands (Okamoto, Pleasure Plus, etc.) | 1.82 % | 2,451 | | TOTAL | 100 % | US$ 162,843 | Brands Overview Trojan Condoms
The Trojan brand has been around since 1920. It is no surprise that their longevity has cemented their market standing with a whopping 70 percent of the market segment. It has been said buyers trust Trojan because their grandparents did before them. But, it can also be argued that the company's success is due to a large number of products each of whom is targeted for a particular user. In 2006, the Trojan brand sold a total of $114 million worth of condoms in drugstores, supermarkets and discount stores. This figure does not include online sales. In terms of units sold this is translated to 11.7 million condoms sold thru these outlets. Trojans are manufactured by the Church & Dwight Company. The company offers condoms according to material (latex and non-latex); lubrication (lubricated, spermicidal, climax control); fit (regular, large, extra large); style (textured, sensitive, roomier, standard). Durex Condoms At a distant but steady second place is the Durex Condom brand. The company had sales of $27 million in 2006 in selected outlets (drugstores, supermarkets and discount stores). This is equivalent to 3.3 million units sold in these outlets. The company's brand name, which represents DUrability, Reliability and Excellence, was registered in 1929. In the 1930s, Durex became the first condom manufacturer to use the liquid latex dipping technology - dramatically revolutionizing the manufacturing process. The company is also known for several innovations - such as the world's first anatomically shaped condom in 1969 and the first condom lubricated with a spermicide in 1974. Today the company has an extensive product line which includes: Avanti, made from an odorless polyurethane material that is double the strength of natural latex; Pleasuremax and Sensation, the company's ribbed and dotted condoms; Fetherlite, an ultra fine condom for greater sensitivity; and Tingle and Performa, condoms with special gel or lubrication. LifeStyles Condoms The LifeStyles brand, which is relatively new to the market, originated in the United States but had greater success overseas, particularly in Australia.In 2006, LifeStyles recorded about $16.3 million in sales in selected outlets (drugstores, supermarkets and discount stores) which represented 1.6 million condoms sold in these retail stores. LifeStyles is known as the first condom brand to target women, the first to advertise on MTV (800 TV commercials ran on a continuous campaign) and the first condom manufacturer with a website on the Internet. Today, the brand boasts a wide range of products: their thin condoms are Ultra Thin and Maximum Sensation Discs; their especially lubricated condoms are packed as Ultra Sensitive, Ultra Lubricated, Sheer Pleasure and Warming Pleasure; and their extra-sized condoms carry the Mega brand name. Recently, the company launched Skyn, a thin, polyisoprene non-latex condom. Inspiral Condoms The Inspiral brand of condoms is distributed in the U.S. by Intellx, Inc. In 2006, the brand sold $1.2M worth of condoms in selected outlets. In terms of units sold, this translates to about 170,000 units sold in these outlets.The Inspiral brand has a limited but distinct range of products: Inspiral, Dolphin (a dolphin-shaped condom) and Yourtube (a flat top design condom). All are latex-based. Kimono Condoms Kimono condoms, which are marketed by Mayer Laboratories, Inc., are manufactured in Japan. The company's premier product is the Kimono Micro Thin condom which it touts as the thinnest in the market today. The lineup also includes Kimono Colors, Kimono MAXX Condoms, Kimono Micro Thin Large Condoms and Kimono Special Condoms. The brand is equally known for the Aqua Lube non-spermicidal lubricant. In 2006, Kimono condoms had sales of about $1 million in selected non-online outlets (drugstores, supermarkets, discount stores). This is the equivalent of about 87,000 units sold in that year in these outlets.Other Brands Other name brands who managed to establish their marks in the market included Okamoto, Pleasure Plus and ONE condoms. These brands had total sales amounting to $2.4 million in 2006 in selected retail outlets. Okamoto Industries makes several different condom types under two different brand names: Beyond Seven and Crown. On the other hand, Pleasure Plus and ONE condoms are two names marketed by Global Protection Corp., a Boston, MA-based company.
|
