To understand why sex sells is quite intriguing for people. Over time, brands – small as well as large – have been using models of both genders smartly to improve their sales figures.
Today, with the audience being more broad-minded, marketers are using sex as a weapon to sell their products.
The entire concept although is nothing new, as using sex as an advertising material dates back to the 1990s. Two yesses – the concept is ancient and it still works.
We are in the 21st century and the methods of advertising have changed drastically as compared to the time when sex was used initially by world-renowned brands.
Sex, however, is not restricted only to selling products. Introduce sex in writing and your story tends to sell, too. So basically, what is the entire strategy behind “erotic advertising”, as it is referred to at times?
The common notion goes that humans possess a reptilian brain, which focuses and responds to the most basic urges, including food. Thanks to the reptilian or lizard brain, our urge to respond to sexual descriptions is very strong.
The ad below features Hannah Ferguson and Paris Hilton for a company selling burgers (Texas BBQ Thickburger, in this ad). Yes, a burger! Bikini-clad women in a car wash setup, eating burger! And it sells.
Men, in particular, are drawn to such ads. They tend to remember everything that the ad shows, including the models’ names; ask them the company’s name and they won’t be able to recall it.
Don’t you think this is unfortunate for the brands, in a way?
Take Axe body spray as an example. The brand has produced numerous ads, all comprising a similar theme, but different models. The female as well as the male models get sexier with every new advertisement. The men used by the brand are close to perfect, leaving women drooling when the ad ends.
UCLA’s Dr Ian Cook is quoted as saying, “Watch your brain and watch your wallet”. It is fairly relevant as most ads do not make sense and yet succeed in making sales, thanks to the sexy models used in them.
Advertisements that incorporate sex are nonetheless entertaining. Some of these are so creative that they thrive in generating the fantasy element that every individual would like to live.
What the advertisement makers succeed in doing is use sexual ideas creatively and in an appropriate fashion that keeps people wanting for more.
With this, one might wonder what the future for sex is in advertising. Well, sex is here to stay and it will get unconcealed with each year.
At present, the regulations surrounding the use of sex in promotion are not completely relaxed. Nevertheless, it will reach a stage where consumers will happily accept such promotions making sex a major part of advertising.
