The winner of the Evening Standard’s second edition of the ‘Be London’s Headline competition’, Trojan® Brand Condoms, is calling for “London lovers to unite”, responsibly, as COVID-19 restrictions come to an end.

Brands were challenged to submit an eye-catching and creative cross platform campaign to capture a passion for London at a pivotal point in the capital’s history, with the prize including the coveted Evening Standard newspaper cover wrap. Wavemaker UK’s creative team rose to the challenge with their entry for Trojan® Brand Condoms, with the creation of an evocative and provocative bespoke map of London featuring a tongue-in-cheek commentary - from Humpstead Heath and So-Hoe, to encouraging Londoners to ‘flaunt that junk’ at God’s own Junkyard.

The inspiration for the collaboration came from the fact that 72% of single Londoners when asked about their love -lives confirmed it’s been tough - even ‘pointless’. And for those 71% of 16-29 year olds in a relationship but living apart, loneliness was what united them. Sadly, it is thought that social isolation has contributed to a rise in mental health issues across London, with 42% of Evening Standard readers reporting that their mental health has been affected by the Covid crisis, an issue highlighted by The Evening Standard’s London Minds event series earlier this year.

As COVID-19 restrictions finally lift and London opens up, there will understandably be both excitement and anxiety in the air. The campaign is designed to give Londoners the inspiration, reassurance and confidence to navigate new dating protocols and resume relationships after a long period of isolation.

The ‘Be London’s Headline’ competition was judged by a stellar line-up from across the industry, including Craft Media’s Jen Smith and Ben Walker, Founder of Who, Wot, Why and Dan Locke, Chief Commercial Content Officer at The Evening Standard, who unanimously selected Wavemaker UK’s Trojan® Brand Condoms ‘London Lovers Unite!’ as the winner.

Dan Locke, Chief Commercial Content Officer of The Evening Standard commented: “The judges unanimously agreed that ‘London Lovers Unite!’ delivered everything we were looking for - a strong brand identity and a bespoke idea both rooted in audience insight, and that aligned with the Evening Standard iconic brand. But most importantly, the entry stood out for its wit and humour which is guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of Londoners everywhere.”

Alongside the much-coveted cover wrap, Trojan® Brand Condoms and Wavemaker UK submitted a content idea for the publication’s newly launched digital product BrandPost which allows advertisers to seamlessly integrate their voice into the Evening Standard’s online editorial content. Trojan® Brand Condoms will have the opportunity to publish four BrandPost articles, which will be live on standard.co.uk, over a four-week period. The prize package also includes branding across the paper’s city-wide vendor network and a homepage takeover that can be seen today on standard.co.uk.

Ann Wixley, Executive Creative Director at Wavemaker UK explained: “This headline will encourage and, crucially, support Londoners to embrace all that London, and Londoners, have to offer as we and the city spring back to life after the pandemic. The creative delivers a much-needed injection of humour and joie de vivre to the streets of London, following a very difficult year.”

Rossana Doldi, Head of Healthcare at Church and Dwight, Owners of Trojan® Brand Condoms added: “As a positive, progressive and inclusive brand, our mission is to enable real connections and give people the confidence to have safe and pleasurable sex. The cover wrap design conveys the brand’s distinctive humour and without judgement, heralds the renewal of positive connections between the people and places that make London life so special. Our weekly Brand Posts will feature practical tips, useful information, insightful confidence-boosters and empathetic advice from Trojan’s sexual health experts and accredited influencers - including Pete Wicks from TOWIE - on how to navigate new logistics and best practice protocols for dating safely and confidently. So, come on let’s ‘Enjoy Londoners Responsibly!”