Does sex really sell?

[Brian Turner]

Originally Posted by Suzanne

Why thank you. I'm blonde but I got brains. Dangerous huh?

Deadly.

[trevHCS]

I'm blonde but I got brains. Dangerous huh?

Quick, run for the hills and I'll try to hold back the tide of womens lib! Personally of course I have been conditioned over the past few years to be completely im..m...m...une to the whole female blond influence .... oh no, just realised Becki is a brunnette however and if she teams up with Suzanne .... erm, wait for me!! :-)

Trev

[Brian Turner]

Bump again to see if sex really sells? I'm going to write up an article on this as there's something of a consumer backlash - allegedly - in the US, especially over the issue of sexing up children.

[Gary]

Unfortunately It would appear so. commercial advertising is getting more daring or brazen and the fashion, music and movie industries are sexing up targeting the younger market as there's more profit there know than ever. Personally I find it most disturbing or am I just being a prude who refuses to move with the times?

[bizal]

Sex has 2 benefits if aimed at the right targets.

1: It gets attention and with so much advertising out there it is vital to get us to have a second look.
2: It sells a lifestyle image i.e. how many people would buy something if it were related to an ugly person? Have you ever seen a motorbike with an ugly woman next to it or perfume/ aftershave with a fat slob?

PS How do we know now you are a natural blond?

[bumfluff]

Its a way that can be effective in reaching some markets, I guess, but I reckon its basically just another 'tool in the box' (not sure if the pun was intended or not) when it comes to communication. It can be an effective one, but it's easy to get wrong and reduce a message to tackiness.

Also, I think people are getting better at seeing through ads that use sex to try and appeal to them, which isn't surprising really - if someone uses the same methods to manipulate you for years, sooner or later you're gonna twig. On the other hand, the reason these kinds of ads are so popular are because people's brains are hard-wired to react to sexual signals.

[MaxForce]

I ve got to agree with Brian. I think the more "sex" or "other attraction" is used in advertising, then it kind of shifts the focus from the product.
Prevalence? Well, it would be dificult to change an industry standard or the common believe. As the John Hancock guy and the Donald used to say, the best advertising is the one that touches the emotion of the audience. I tend to agree with the statement.

[Rachel1980]

I totally agree with you Brian. It seems that in NZ the focus is more on men as these objects than women. But in my personal opinion advertising that uses sex to sell things generally turns me off. I would much rather see chocolate being advertised on TV by a lady in slippers and her dressing gown, snuggled on the couch watching a movie, than wearing a bathing suit (very skimpy at that) accompanied by a man. All that makes me think about is not buying the chocolate and then I feel guilty for not exercising for the past week.

But thats me I guess. Everyone is different.

[Brian Turner]

I was just reading a marketing book - it mentioned that sex in advertising - where especially non-relevant - generally led to poor product/brand recognition.

Seems that sex is recognised as a way to get people's attention in a busy world - but is an otherwise poor vehicle for getting the market to note what is being advertised.

Which is precisely what I originally posted about.

[West_Side_Story]

there has definitely been a significant downturn of late in the amount of advertisers using sex as their opposition, but this is simply a trend, sex sells, and will continue to sell as long as humans have hormones