• New York Times, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:46 AM

Church & Dwight's Magnum line of large condoms, which has never been advertised but has figured prominently in the lyrics of dozens rappers such as Ludacris, Kid Rock, Lil Wayne and Eminem, saw its market share leap from 4.6% in 2001 to 18.8% today. Now, it's launching a campaign -- the Magnum Live Large Project -- in print, online and on the radio, Andrew Adam Newman reports.

A contest invites participants to go to MagnumLiveLarge.com to download base tracks and record their own Magnum-themed lyrics. Site visitors will pick a winner, who will receive $5,000 and a trip to Birthday Bash, a hip-hop festival in Atlanta, where Ludacris will offer congratulations onstage.

"We're looking for songs that encompass the Magnum lifestyle and what it means to live large -- not just the size of the condom or what it's put on but what it means to live large across the board," says Julian Long, a consultant for Colangelo Synergy, which created the ads and contest.

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