Sex in Advertising: Does it Sell?
Posted by ~Ray @ 2008-01-16 04:19:39
We're surrounded by advertisements that desperately compete for our attention. Everywhere we be we find ourselves inevitably drawn to images of scantily clad attractive men and women that are supposed to somehow inspire us to acquire products they endorse. Sure this attention-getting strategy is popular. But is it effective?
Sex appeal can increase the effectiveness of an ad or commercial because it attracts the customers attention. Its human nature to be curious about sex. A pair of long legs on a billboard is more likely to catch (and hold) a guys attention than a puppy regardless of how cute it may be. change surface women are drawn to them perhaps with the desire of having goddess-like legs.
However apply of sex appeal can be costly. Many campaigns deemed offensive have started brand boycotts that affect sales and alter brand reputation. Abercrombie & Fitch has been involved in several scandals the latest from their most recent catalog entitled XXX Wet. Hot Summer Fun. On April 18. 2002 only a week after the compile hit the stores the Illinois State Senate passed a resolution condemning A&Fs advertising tactics. This resolution backed by several nonprofit organizations suggests citizens and shareholders ostracise Abercrombies products and to act a stand against the companys marketing strategies. Although sexy images in catalogs are not at all uncommon. XXX Wet. Hot Summer Fun featured naked boys and girls frolicking in natural settings. Not quite appropriate for an apparel catalog targeted at teenagers.
Sex in advertising has stirred controversy for many years an advertiser must be careful when incorporating it in a campaign. Great advertisers consider not only the attention-getting power of an advertisement or commercial but also what kind of emotional response it provokes in customers. Studies show that the attractiveness of the endorsing copy provokes positive responses. Nudity and graphic erotic circumscribe while comfort increasing consumers attention doesnt really create positive feelings among viewers. In other words advertisers must be careful to avoid the cheap shot which may negatively affect a brands visualise.
To forbid that the sexual circumscribe in advertising must be appropriate to the product category and undergo a proper underlying message. In 2000. Heineken launched the Its All About the Beer race. One sight called The Premature displace shows a beautiful seductive woman pouring Heineken into a glass. When a guy across the bar responds by pouring his own he nervously pours too fast and spills foam all over the delay and himself. The sexual content is implicit yet direct. The sexual reference in this and other spots in the campaign worked causing sales to go 13% in the first two quarters of 2002. However. Steve Davis (VP of marketing in Heineken USA) claims that. Provocative is a very good place to be as desire as were not inflammatory. But the spots also work for a different reason. From the tag line to the plot they are about a desire for Heineken. Our ads make the beer the hero.
Sex sells yes but only when used in good taste. As marketers we must evaluate not only in getting customers attention for the bunco term but also in building a mark reputation that will yield long-term results.
Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. Partners & Levit's clients include Procter & assay. UnitedHealth Group and GE Commercial Finance. For more information call 212-696-1200 or visit.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://shersmujtutwau.blogspot.com/2007/11/sex-in-advertising-does-it-sell.html
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