Thus, condom makers are put in a position of trying to appeal to people who buy condoms while conforming to the strict network standards that prohibit anything too erotic or sexually suggestive.

IN the age of AIDS, condom makers have tended to market their products primarily as public-health necessities.

So far, commercial messages from condom makers have appeared only on local stations.

Carter-Wallace, a leading condom maker, was one of the day's biggest losers after an analyst lowered her opinion of the health-care company's stock.

The eagerness of condom makers, which have long concentrated on print advertising, to run spots on network television illustrates how Mr. Johnson's illness is changing the rules regarding advertising.

Even Durex, the condom maker, has had to sue domestic rivals that it contends stole its brand name and undermined sales.

But, she said, some condom makers have indicated interest in donating condoms.

The voluble executive ended the year with all sorts of publicity for his newest client, the condom makers at Ansell International, which has assigned the agency its Lifestyles brand.

And in a description of a commercial for Mates condoms, the spot is compared with those of other condom makers, "who'd pitched their brands largely to Cassanovas."

The condom makers emphasize "socially responsible health care" on their Web site, MayerLabs.com, on which the ad may be viewed.