Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, Armani, Lacoste.. But where does it really stop?!

Underwear, perfumes, cosmetics.. but that is not all!

Anywhere we look, it is there.

  

During the last couple of decades sex and advertising have become bonded like they have never been before. Sometimes, it might be hard to imagine a commercial that does not show us mile long woman’s legs in milimiter long skirt or a man whose biceps are so strong that they could pick up a tractor. The society has become so drawned to these pictures, which the advertising companies are coming up with more and more shocking picutres and ideas. But is it really worth it? Do almost naked actors, sexual symbols or multiple meaning words really make us buy a product or at least remember it?

  

Richard F. Taflinger, PhD, who studies this issue also from the bilogical point of view claims: “Sex is the second strongest of the psychological appeals, right behind self-preservation. It’s strenght is biological and instictive, the genetic imperative of reproduction” (Taflinger, 1996). So naturally most of people are attracted to sex. Moreover, the number of adverts with sexual content is clearly growing and this supports the idea of our society being sex-oriented.

  

However, if we look at the content of the advertisiment, we should not look only for almost naked people, while the marketing companies are coming up with strategies that feature more sophisticated transmission of sexual messages. Many times, these can be hidden in symbols which look like sexual organs or rembrace the sexual act (e.g. shift stick in the car, bananas, perfume bottles, etc); hidden it multiple meaning words or phrases (e.g. “Do it to me”, “Give it to me” etc) or also in contextual fastors like the setting of the ad (e.g bedroom, empty dark bar etc) and music or provocative dress code or voice of the actors.

  

We should ask our selves – are the sexy ads intented to be sexy? Do we like them? Do we remember them? – Many times, all the answers depend just on the demographic and psychographic factors of people whom these commercials have hit. It is very clear, that sexual images can get our attention, are more engaging and involving and mostly interesting (Reichert, 2002) And that is why they have become so popular by the marketing companies. But the strategy must be worked out well for it to really work. Some prodcuts can be connected with sexually more easier than others (e.g lingerie,  comsetics versus milk, coffee, vacuum cleaners, hamburgers etc) and if this connection in the ad is not worked out well, it might cause for the whole campaign to look unprofessional and give the product bad reputation (Reichert, 2002) – worth mentioning would be a campaign for fast food chain in the US – Carl’s JR which featured Paris Hilton dressed in swimming suit wasching a limousine and eating the famous 6 dollar spicy hamburger). So the line between success and failure in this spehere is very thin. Advertisers must be careful about the shocking effect and the actual amount of sexual images. Also the usage of sexually explicit images and multiple meaning words can sometimes cause the brand also problems and bad reputation. (However, in this case we should not forget that even bad Advertisment is an Advertisment.) To support this idea, I would like to use the example of the fiasco or Abercrombie&Fitch’s catalogue realeased in 2002. This cataloque named “XXX Wet, Hot, Summer Fun” received many complaints while it contained pictures of nude teenage boys and girls. Just after a week of it’s release, the Illinois State Senate banned it and with other nono profit oranizations suggested boycott of this brand standing against the company’s marketing strategies (Lewit). Furthermore, if a normal person is overdosed by sexual images of an advertisement, this person might tend not to remember the product which was ment to be sold (Reichert, 2002)

  In the conclusion, all the asdvertisment featuring sex and sexual images are playing hard upon our most basic instincts. According to an annual reaserch done by Tom Reichert in 2002, if person’s attitude towrds sex is possitive, their attitude towards the advertisement and product will be possitive as well (Reichert, 2002).

WORKS CITED: 

Levit, Mark. “Sex in Advertising: Does it sell?.” Enzine Articles. 03 Jan 2008 <http://ezinearticles.com/?Sex-in-Advertising:-Does-it-Sell?&id=14551>. 

Reichert, Tom. “Sex in Advertising.” A review of content, effects, and functions of sexual information in consumer advertising. 2002. 01 Jan 2008 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3778/is_200201/ai_n9032366/pg_10.

Taflinger PhD, Richard F.. “You and Me: Babe: Sex and Advertising.” 28 May 1996. Taking ADvantage. 10 Jan 2008 <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/sex.html>.

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