Condom Advert Feedback

[fvghalliwell]

Hi there, I'm relatively new to Spotify. I love the service, but I'm kind of weirded out by one thing: of late, they've been playing two Trojan (condom) ads. This is fine in and of itself, but I listen to my music in common areas a lot, places where my family can hear. When it comes to the younger kids, I'm nervous about them hearing it (they also have Spotify accounts of their own, so I'm a little concerned about that, too, because the ads are a bit...specific); with the older relatives, I know it'll just be too weird. Is there any way to report an ad or stop if from playing on your personal Spotify? I don't mind ads at all--I just mind this ad, considering the fact that it's legitimately weird. Thank you in advance!

[Brandy524]

Just had to add my complaints about the Trojan ads.  One is currently playing right now!  They just started for me today.  I listen 8 hours a day at work and I've honestly lost count of how many I've heard today.  It's appalling.  Everytime a song ends I brace myself to hear "Trojan Man!"  Even while listening to a Christian folk band they played repeatedly; practically every ad I've heard today has been Trojan. 

[anonymous1005]

I stopped listening to Spotify over the durex ads and, finally, in time for the Christmas season,  was able to use spotify again.  I'm extremely disappointed to hear the same BS over again.  Guess I'm back to Pandora until your ad screeners can do their job and stop airing offensive ads.  Here's an idea- if you wouldn't play it on prime time television, don't approve it.

[jedshuler]

There are some things Spotify shouldn't advertise. Drugs, alcohol, condoms, & other sex related ads. Please stop or I will have to stop my service.

[fvghalliwell]

Wow, I came back after a day away from my computer and found so many like-minded people! Glad to know I'm not the only one who finds that ad hard to digest. It's not only an ad for a condom, but it's also a) more than I want to hear about peoples' condom choices and b) just a generally weird-sounding ad. I know little about Spotify, but if this is an ongoing problem and the suggestions/messages to them don't seem to do the trick, what about an online petition? I see them going out all the time. Maybe we could start one and pass it along? Also, someone said something about the facebook age. Nothing to do with it--I'm not a facebook user and I STILL get this ad.

[fvghalliwell]

Yes, it doesn't help that the ad is stuck in my head, either. It's just weird that it plays with every kind of music, especially religious and children's music.

[Barthaz]

Totally agree with you!

Please remove them, make ads more personalized for the listener or at least tell durex to be more conceptual with their ideas so that kids won't get it! The condom ads are a trigger for me at the moment.

[kmartinf]

I don't mind ads but there should be a censorship of some sort to control either from general ads or 18+/21+ ads.  And by the look of it, this haven't been the first time that this issue have come to arise.

[bellajtam]

Since I've been a member of Spotify, this is the second time for this to happen (edit) in the past 12 months. The first was with Durex (January/February 2012) and there was an uproar about it. This is the second one. There may have been others before I started using spotify. 

Also, I'm 23 and find this advert offensive. If an ad is 21+, then it shouldn't be played. Period. If you were to watch the Disney Channel or even ABC, you would never hear these ads during the day when there is the potential for people under 18/21 to hear it. You'd probably find these types of adverts in late evening or graveyard hours. At least I remember growing up with Cartoon Network, you rarely (if ever) heard an advert for AdultSwim during the day, and if you did, they were clean ads. 

[fvghalliwell]

Very true. But this is a really bad ad, regardless. People across many age groups seem to be upset. I don't get why it has to be such a graphic ad.

[starbucksaddict]

Super long, super awkard condom ads? No thank you spotify. Not cool.

[antiadman · Accepted solution]

Hi guys,

In an online article, I read the following quote from Spotify rep regarding the trojan ads,

" [they] was reduced over the holidays and they only run for 18+ free tier users."

Got me thinking. I went to

username icon (top right corner of destop spotify) -> account -> edit my profile (on website) 

I then changed my birthday so that I am under 18.

It's a hastle, but so far the trojan ads have disappeared.

Try it out.

[bellajtam]

Wow...Just tried to mute my computer when the ad played and guess what? It stopped the ad. You can't even mute the ad to get away from it. That's messed up. This is NOT the way to make sales, Spotify....

Also, it doesn't work if you're connected to Facebook. =( And I refuse to modify my facebook profile to accomodate for this. Sorry.

[truly0bsessed]

I don't usually mind ads. I mean, they're annoying, but I realize you have to make money somehow. But codom ads, really? I mean, I don't care personally, I think some of them are funny, but it does seem exceedingly silly that you would have those play when small kids could hear it. As a big sister, I don't want my little brother to hear that. 

Now, I get that Trojan and Durex and other companies like them pay you to run their ads, but isn't there a smarter way to do this? For instance, make an option for the user to mark ads they don't want to hear again (in moderation) or make a "family frendly" option to stop seeing nfsw/not family-friendly ads, which might include not only condom ads, but ads for horror movies (which tend to get into my dreams if I'm listening to spotify when I fall asleep).

Horror films and condoms can't be the only things you can advertise for money.

[Hawkeye15]

yes i agree i play spotify at work i share my office with another co worker and we have our door open as people are always coming and going discussing projects. i usually have the music down low but still the trojan commercials are awkward for anyone who is trying to talk to me or just hears it coming from my office.  can we please use different commercials spotify. still play the trojan ones if you have to, but you have to at least have more commercials than those that you can play. spotify you have been good in the past about changing ads or weird speaker voices to things that are better. i think a lot of people want these commercials to go.

[mdthomason]

I recently heard Trojan brand condoms advertising on Spotify, the main reason I listened to Spotify was because it was clean and family appropriate.  If this continues I will be forced to cancel my subscription.  Please consider discontinuing Trojans from your sponsors.

[therangatang]

agreed what the heck spotify? Change or at least give users the option to select what type of ads they would like to hear....

[Heather18]

I really appreciate that the previous ads were removed, but there's this Trojan brand whose commercials keep coming on. I'm glad that when I got on the forum I found so many other people who felt the same way about these ads. And thank you, Spotify, for discontinuing the last brand's ad campaign.
But my friend and I have been having to find ways to hurry and mute the computer (without just pausing the ad for later) whenever the ad comes on because we really don't want to hear it. And even though Spotify is wonderful and I love it, these ads are enough that I will uninstall Spotify from my computer if the problem isn't solved. However, I have confidence that Spotify will take care of this issue, as has been done in the past.
Facebook has an option of removing specific ads. Would it be reasonable for Spotify to offer the same power to its users?

[user-removed]

Yes, please remove these ads! They're totally inappropriate, especially when little ears are iistening. I can deal with anything else, but remove the condom ads! Please keep in mind who your audience is!

[Kellibear]

I just heard one of these condom commercials on Spotify. I mostly listen to Spotify at work and, since I have to listen for the office phone, I am not able to listen through headphones like my other coworkers. Just like fvghalliwell, I am not in a setting where it is appropriate for condom ads. Spotify, please, remove these ads during most hours of the day!

[Lovingmom]

Interesting that you asked we keep these blog posts "clean", when you advertise highly inappropriate Trojan advertisements through the Spotify accounts!!!  I am extremely disappointed to find these commercials;  since when did you begin these?  Before today I've recommended Spotify to many friends.  However now I can't even let my kids on without fearing what commercial I'll have to censor.  Are you really struggling that much for money????  At least give us parents who are the eyes and ears for our kids the option to select G-rated commericals during music.  Wow.