Sex in Advertising: Does it Sell?
Posted by ~Ray @ 2008-04-08 03:40:23
We're surrounded by advertisements that desperately compete for our attention. Everywhere we look we find ourselves inevitably drawn to images of scantily clad attractive men and women that are supposed to somehow inspire us to purchase products they endorse. Sure this attention-getting strategy is popular. But is it effective?
Sex appeal can change magnitude the effectiveness of an ad or commercial because it attracts the customers attention. Its human nature to be curious about sex. A pair of desire legs on a billboard is more likely to surprise (and hold) a guys attention than a puppy regardless of how cute it may be. Even women are drawn to them perhaps with the wish of having goddess-like legs.
However apply of sex appeal can be costly. Many campaigns deemed offensive undergo started mark boycotts that affect sales and damage brand reputation. Abercrombie & Fitch has been involved in several scandals the latest from their most recent compile entitled XXX Wet. Hot Summer Fun. On April 18. 2002 only a week after the catalog 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 boycott Abercrombies products and to take 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 compile 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 model provokes positive responses. Nudity and graphic erotic content while still increasing consumers attention doesnt really generate positive feelings among viewers. In other words advertisers must be careful to forbid the cheap shot which may negatively affect a brands image.
To avoid that the sexual circumscribe in advertising must be appropriate to the product category and have a proper underlying communicate. In 2000. Heineken launched the Its All About the Beer race. One spot called The Premature displace shows a beautiful seductive woman pouring Heineken into a furnish. When a guy across the bar responds by pouring his own he nervously pours too abstain and spills foam all over the table and himself. The sexual circumscribe is implicit yet direct. The sexual reference in this and other spots in the race worked causing sales to rise 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 bring home the bacon for a different reason. From the tag lie to the plan they are about a desire for Heineken. Our ads alter the beer the hero.
Sex sells yes but only when used in good comprehend. As marketers we must think not only in getting customers attention for the short term but also in building a brand reputation that ordain yield long-term results.
attach Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. Partners & Levit's clients include Procter & Gamble. UnitedHealth assort and GE Commercial pay. For more information call 212-696-1200 or visit.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://pendley70453.blogspot.com/2007/11/sex-in-advertising-does-it-sell.html
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