Does sex actually sell? This may be the most common question people could think if they see an alcohol, perfume, fashion and car advertisements that have strong links with sex. And according to experts, sex in business is in fact a good and strong marketing strategy.
It has been often said that as human beings, we often responds to certain primal urges. This fundamentally pre-programmed nature to respond to sexual imagery is so strong that it has been used for more than a century in business and advertising. While the industry has been abusing it more and more, it would be a foolish move to ignore the appeal of sexual and erotic messaging when it comes to product marketing.
Today, however, sex in business seems to be a thing of the past where some of the marketing campaigns often bordered on outrageously sexy and pornographic advertisements. According to Business Insider, several brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, which became notorious for its sexy marketing campaigns, are no longer using sex as a selling tool.
Despite declining sales, the popular teen brand has been slowly but surely toning down its raunchy reputation to become more appealing to the modern consumer market. But its efforts to rebrand have been clear by chipping away from its "hot salesclerk" policy and shirtless models are no longer greeting costumers at their flagship store in New York City.
Abercrombie & Fitch, however, is not the only brand that has dropped its sexual marketing trademark. In fact, American Apparel has channeled into less racy ad campaigns, where models are no longer sprawled out in suggestive positions or almost naked. And even Playboy decided to ditch its famous nude photos.
Even though Abercrombie & American Apparel's older campaigns have been iconic, they both also are on the side of exploitative. And these major changes suggest the massive changes in consumers' mindsets, where sex and nudity are not anymore the focus of the current and future trends.
"Today, the world is so saturated with nudity and sex, people are looking for more than just shock and nudity because you can see those anywhere," image-making agency YARD's Founder and Chief Strategic Officer Ruth Bernstein explained. "The consumer is looking for sex plus."
Sex in advertising are slowly dying down and a new research made a surprising conclusion in July that sex not only "does not sell" but can put potential customers off buying a product. The Telegraph reported the reason behind is that people pay so much attention to the graphic material that their minds are distracted from what is being promoted. The conclusion was that while violence and sex attract attention, it is at the expense of surrounding content that is neither violent nor sexual.
Meanwhile, the simplest answer as to why advertisers use sex in marketing is - it works. There is something characteristically appealing about the human form that lures consumers. Sexualized ads and seductive web copy make us curious, grab our attention, and catch interest, TriDigital noted. Thus, smart marketing strategists use sex appeal to their advantage, especially in this era of instant gratification.
Sex in business has become a bigger part of the advertising landscape but now this approach is already worn out.
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