Sex sells and it always will.

Antonia Kopidaki
Nov 3 · 4 min read

Thousands of ads are being spread on a daily basis on media, on the Internet or by the old-fashion ways (leaflets, posters). The thing that many people don’t notice is that, in most of those ads, is starring sexual content. Sex is almost in every advertisement. Many ads are using sex content to promote their products because whenever a person is exposed to a sexual message, their old brain gets activated and it is difficult to ignore it.

However, sex doesn’t pair with everything. Kitchen appliances, furniture, and insurance are a few examples of products and services where sex wouldn’t really work in advertising. That’s why before you use sex in advertising, you should first think about what are you trying to sell.

Still, some advertisers don’t care if sex pairs with their product to a great extent. Their only aim is the hugest selling.

And the question is, does sex sell? Yes. Sex sells. As Cole Schafer refers in his article, (Does sex sells? 2018) we as humans crave sex. Sex sells music. Sex sells clothing. Sex sells beauty products. Sex sells supplements. It pretty much sells everything.

According to a study published in The Journal of Sex Research, men on average think about sex 19 times per day, whereas women think about sex 10 times per day. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, thinking about sex 10 to 19 times per day is a significant enough number that it would tickle an advertisers' interest.

However, does it make it right?

Sex in advertisements could easily affect society and it surely does. Selling individuals their naked bodies make people get angry and/or upset due to the vulgar presentation of men and women’s bodies to the audience. Models or actors commonly expose their bodies to ads that might not have any relationship with the product that is being promoted.

Sex in advertising is a practice even more frowned upon than just strictly sex itself. It is viewed as being dirty, manipulative and perhaps a low blow to modern society.

And now, more than ever before, this relationship has become strained due to a growing popularity in feminist movements and an increasing awareness of the inequality that women face on a day to day basis.

Back in 1950’s the idea of ‘’sex sells’’ had been prominent in advertising where women’s purpose was to please men as mother, wife and goddess idol. Nowadays it is more about sexualising women to sell products. What both eras have in common is that women are still being objectified, making society static. (Alejandra Jones-Navarro, 2018 — Medium article)

Sex in advertising draws attention and plays into our most primal human desires: to be wanted and to be loved. Some brands rely on sexual imagery and innuendo more than others, but the ones that do send the same message: this product will boost your sex appeal.

When an ad with sex content is right done, it is effective. But some ads which are too sexual can lead to a huge turn-off.

There are some examples of sex in advertising which have done well, however it is quite difficult to track them down. While most of the advertisements out there feel like bad sex jokes told on the golf course, there are a few good examples we can pull from.

The Durex ad in 2014 is a good example of sex is being sold well. The ad shows the condom Durex which costs 2,50$ and a port-bebe which costs 217$. It is a funny way to remind you to wear protection or to accept the consequences. Of course, Durex contains sex in their advertising as it is a condom brand but still it is an example of advertising and sex in the right way.

Alongside, in the article “10 of the most effective examples in advertising” (Showpo edit, 2018), it is being shown a done well ad that Diesel created for its campaign in 2010. In the campaign of Denim, “Sex sells. Unfortunately, we sell jeans,” they snapped young, beautiful, half-dressed men and women splayed out on couches and beds — sometimes with each other, sometimes alone. The photos aren’t overly stylised, and the bold type let the audience know that Diesel was calling out something its industry was known for. It wasn’t trying to hide it. The campaign was strategic, satirical, and it went viral, boosting the brand’s awareness in a big way.

Therefore, sex sells and it always will sell. But, there is a right and a wrong way to pair advertising and sex. And, in addition, there are right and wrong products to pair advertising and sex with.

Clippings Autumn 2019

Writing from Creative and Professional Writing students (PP1) at CCCU, 2019

Antonia Kopidaki

Written by

Clippings Autumn 2019

Writing from Creative and Professional Writing students (PP1) at CCCU, 2019

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