Is Sex Appeal Effective?

Introduction

The 1950’s saw the introduction of commercial television, and with it the chance for firms to
reach mass markets through televised advertising. However, with the ever-growing usage of
televised promotion in addition to the ever-increasing print media, firms found themselves in
constant competition with other suppliers, and looked for ways to differentiate their product
from rivals. Sex Appeal is one such method of differentiation that suppliers have found and
proven to be successful. By targeting our basic animalistic behaviour, namely the drive for
sexual reproduction, firms have found that through a cleverly designed message containing
sex appeal, they can attract and hold on to consumers’ attention, thus making it more likely
for consumers to choose that particular product over another. On the other hand however,
sexual content may not be communicative and might even have a detrimental effect on brand
information processing. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the effectiveness of sex appeal
in advertising through an in-depth examination of the research literature, with a central focus
on the positive roles and negative effects of sexual stimuli in advertising.

What is sex appeal in advertising?

Appeals utilizing overt sexual information are common in mainstream consumer advertising.
Sex appeal is pervasive in advertising and is used with increasing frequency. As advertisers
seek out ways to break through clutter and draw attention to their messages, the use of
sexually oriented appeals have been used as a communication technique (Saunders 1996).
Previous research for advertising has documented that sexually oriented appeals are
widespread, commonplace, and increasing (Reichert et al. 1999). Typically, sex appeals have
varied along two major dimensions; nudity and sexual explicitness. The escalating usage of
sexual stimuli in advertising indicates that companies will advertise in a way that most
effectively moves the product. And sex does sell; one only has to browse through popular
magazines to realize how powerful a tool sex is.

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Why is sex appeal effective? The positive roles of sex appeal in advertising
One might ask ‘why do advertisers promote sex appeal?’ The answer in its purest form is that
it works well in most cases and according to Bumler (1999), most advertising executives use
sex appeal as the most powerful weapon in their arsenal and therefore they use graphic images
to get and hold on to audiences’ attention. From a marketing perspective, sexual appeal may
be advantageous for the simple reason that they prey on basic biological instincts and thus, an
incredible motivational factor, which is a desirable attribute to break through clutter.
Advertisements that attract attention have the increased likelihood to affect persuasion,
especially in a saturated media environment typified by passive viewing exposure (Reichert,
Heckler & Jackson 2001). Numerous research studies have revealed that sexual appeal, when
used in advertising are attention grabbing, likeable, arousing, effect inducing, memorable, and
somewhat more apt to increase interest in the topic advertised in comparison to non-sexual
appeal (Severn, Belch & Belch 1990).

According to Shimp (2003), sex appeal serves several crucial roles in advertising. Firstly,
sexual material in advertising acts as an initial attention lure to the ad, which is referred to as
the stopping power of sex (Yovovich 1983). Attention is a necessary condition for learning,
attitudinal change and behavioral effects. A second function of sexual stimuli in advertising is
to enhance message recall as sex is arousing, easy to relate, emotion inducing, and most of all,
memorable. Finally, the third role of sexual content in advertising is to evoke emotional
responses, such as feelings of arousal, excitement, or even lust, which in turn can create
stimulation and desire for the product (Bumler 1999). According to Hoyer and MacInnis
(2001), this role may affect the consumer’s mood and can result in favourable cognitive
processing of the ad and increase the persuasion impact. In addition to the aforementioned
roles, Richmond and Hartman (1982) argue that sex appeal in advertising is also effective in
eliciting fantasy or expressing the imaginative fulfillment of motives, such as sexual
gratification.

Latour, Pitts, and Snook-Luther (1990) have provided insight into the emotional impact of
sexual appeals, specifically the level and nature of evoked arousal and attitudes toward the
advertisement and brand. They have found a direct relationship between the positive arousal

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evoked by sexual appeals and evaluations of the brand. Nonetheless, whether sexual appeal
elicits a positive or negative reaction depends on the appropriateness to the advertised
product. Richmond and Hartman (1982) ascertain that sexual stimuli will enhance brand recall
only if it has an appropriate relationship with the product category and the advertising
execution. When sex appeal is used inappropriately, such as utilizing it solely as an attention
device, exploiting the female body, degrading the female role or insulting propriety, weak
brand recall may occur and may in fact produce a negative attitude towards the brand. This
implies that the use of sex appeal in advertising must be appropriate to the type of products
being advertised and when sex appeal is used thoughtfully and appropriately, it may produce
acceptable and satisfactory results.

Is sex appeal really effective? Negative effects of sex appeal in advertising

While studies have shown that overt sexual portrayals attract attention to an advertisement,
other numerous advertising research have also suggested that inappropriate and excessive use
of sexual content can actually have a number of negative effects. Consistently, studies have
demonstrated that sexual appeals attract attention to the ad, typically without a corresponding
advantage for brand information processing. Sexual content may be eye-catching and
entertaining, but it may not be communicative and might distract the viewer from the
message.

Reichert, Heckler, and Jackson (2001) claim that when sexual stimulus is used in advertising,
viewers’ perceptual and processing resources are directed toward the sexual information in
the ad rather than toward the brand. Severn, Belch, and Belch (1990) also argue that the use of
explicit sexual messages in advertisements may interfere with consumers’ processing of
message arguments and brand information, which in turn may reduce message
comprehension. Furthermore, according to Stewart and Furse (2000), initial devices such as
sexual stimuli overwhelm the message, and are negatively correlated to both recall and
persuasion. Finally, there has been evidence to suggest that overt sexual appeals may have
detrimental effects on attitudes toward the ad and brand, and therefore may reduce purchase
intention (Grazer & Keesling 1995). These findings led MacInnis, Moorman, and Jaworski
(1991, cited in Hoyer & MacInnis 2001) to advance the proposition that hedonic appeals, such

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as sexual stimuli, increase motivation to process the ad execution, but largely at the expense
of the brand. All of these threaten to act as potential hazards of using sex appeals.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) provides a framework to understand the role of
sexual appeals in persuasion (Shimp 2003). According to ELM, persuasion can occur along a
continuum of elaboration. Persuasion resulting from extensive issue-relevant thinking is
referred to as central route processing, whereby receivers engage in vigilant examination of
message information. As receivers’ motivation, opportunity, and ability decrease, receivers
are less likely to engage in systematic elaboration and are consequently more likely to rely on
peripheral cues to guide their decision-making. Evidence suggests that this process occurs in
response to sexual appeals in advertising (Severn, Belch & Belch 1990).

It appears that numerous advertising utilizing sex appeal seems to get attention but do little for
the advertised product. For instance, Judd and Alexander (1983) found that ads with
decorative female models increase memory for the image in the ad with no difference in
actually reading the information of the ad. In particular, nudity and erotic content was found
to increase attention to the ad, but not necessarily enhance recall or positive attitudes toward a
brand. As a result, sexual appeals stimulate less argument elaboration and connecting
thoughts than will non-sexual appeal. Additional evidence also suggests that, as the level of
nudity and erotism increase, the intended communication effects either become negative or
dissipate (LaTour, Pitts & Snook-Luther 1999). Therefore, despite the persuasiveness of
sexual appeals when used in advertisements, it is likely to be the result of peripheral processes
and as a result may be transient.

In addition to the aforesaid negative effects of advertising, bad uses of sex symbols in
advertising may lead to unacceptable perception by audience. According to Courtney (1983),
the widespread use of sex as an advertising technique has elicited significant consumer
protest. On top of that, as clutter increases in advertising, consumers appear to be more able to
physically avoid advertising and tune out (Bumler 1999). For this reason, every advertiser has
pragmatic need to stand out. As marketers focus on developing messages that stand out, too

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many of them forget that their focus should not solely be on the executional devices, but on
the core message.

In order to investigate the abovementioned discrepancy with regards to the effects of sexual
stimuli in advertising, we conducted a short survey on 20 subjects on their perception of ads
that exploit sex appeal. The subjects, who consisted of eleven females and nine males, were
asked to browse through five different ads for 20 seconds. Two out of the five ads presented,
employ sexual appeal as their core messages. The subjects were then required to answer a
series of questions about the attractiveness of the ads and were then asked to recall the brand
names. The survey questions, results, and advertisement stimuli are provided in Appendix 1.
It was found that one of the ads utilizing sexual appeal (Ad 2) was rated as most appealing by
the majority of subjects. Interestingly however, the other ad that displays explicit nudity (Ad
4) was rated as most unappealing and most subjects were unable to recall the brand name. We
therefore concluded that sex appeal in advertising works well, but only if it is appropriate with
the product context and within an appropriate level of explicitness.

Conclusion
There is no doubt that sex does sell. Decorative, attractive, partially clad models do facilitate
recognition of an advertisement, and can create favorable attitude ratings. On the other hand,
brand recall may not increase brand information processing, as in most cases the attention is
diverted to the detriment of brand name and copy recall. Too much reliance on sex for
advertising, especially if it is not relevant, can be counterproductive. Thus, we believe that sex
is effective so long as it is used in a relevant context and within the appropriate level of
explicitness. However, marketers must be cautious when employing sexual stimuli in
advertising since it may have a number of detrimental effects on the advertised product,
especially when it is not utilized appropriately. Due to the word constraints of this essay,
many other aspects of this topic, such as cultural difference, societal effects, and ethics cannot
be explored. Nonetheless, these issues may serve as a guide for further research.

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 References

Bumler, J. (9 December 1999), Sex Appeal in Advertising, [Online], Available from:

http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jab4bx/assignments/PaperIII.html [23 April 2003]

Courtnev, W. 1983, Sex Stereotyping in Advertising, D.C. Health and Company, USA.

Grazer, W. F. & Keesling, G. 1995, ‘The effect of print advertising's use of sexual themes on
brand recall and purchase intention: A product specific investigation of male responses’,
Journal of Applied Business Research, vol. 11, no. 3; pp. 47-58.

Hoyer, W. D. & MacInnis, D. J. 2001, Consumer Behaviour, 2nd edn, Houghton Mifflin
Company, USA.

Judd, B. B. & Alexander, M. W. 1983, ‘On the reduced effectiveness of some sexually
suggestive ads’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 156-168.

LaTour, M.S., Pitts, R.E. & Snook-Luther, D.C. 1990, ‘Female nudity, arousal, and ad
response: An experimental investigation’, Journal of Advertising, vol. 9, no.4, pp. 51-62.

Reichert, T., Heckler, S.E. & Jackson, S. 2001, The effects of sexual social marketing appeals
on cognitive processing and persuasion. Journal of Advertising, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 13-27.

Reichert, T., Lambiase, J., Morgan, S., Carstarphen, M. & Zavoina, S. 1999, Cheesecake and
beefcake: No matter how you slice it, sexual explicitness in advertising continues to increase.
Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, [Online], vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 7-20. Available
from: Proquest/ABI-Inform. [15 April 2003]

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Richmond, D. & Timothy, P.H. 1982, Sex appeal in advertising, Journal of Advertising
Research, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 53-61.

Saunders, D. 1996, Sex in Advertising, BT Batsford Ltd, Singapore.

Severn, J., Belch, G.E. & Belch, M.A. 1990, The effects of sexual and non-sexual advertising
appeals and information level on cognitive processing and communication effectiveness,
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Inform. [15 April 2003]

Shimp, T. A. 2003, Advertising, Promotion, & Supplemental Aspects of Integrated Marketing

Communications, 6th edn, Thomson - South Western, USA.

Stewart, D. W. & Furse, D.H. 2000, Analysis of the impact of executional factors on
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no. 19, pp. 12-15.

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Appendix 1

Survey questions:
1. Which ad do you find most appealing?

2. Which ad do you find most unappealing?

3. Write the name of the brands for the five ads

Results:

Figure 1. No of subjects rating each ad

as most appealing

14 12
12
No of subjects

10
8 6
6
4 2
2 0 0
0
Ad 1 Ad 2 Ad 3 Ad 4 Ad 5

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 Figure 2. No of subjects rating each ad
as most unappealing

10 9

8 7
No of subjects

4
2
2 1 1

0
Ad 1 Ad 2 Ad 3 Ad 4 Ad 5

Figure 3. No of subjects who can correctly recall

the brand name of each ad

18 16
16
14 12
No of subjects

12 11
10 8
8
6 4
4
2
0
Ad 1 Ad 2 Ad 3 Ad 4 Ad 5

Note:
N = 20 (11 females & 9 males)
Age range = 17 – 24

As shown in Figure 1, Ad 2 (Dolce & Gabbana) which utilizes sex appeal was rated by the
majority of subjects as most appealing. On the other hand, Ad 4 (SharonAusten.com) which
also exploits sex but to a higher degree, was rated by the majority of subjects as most
unappealing. In relation to brand recall, Ad 2 generated most brand recall whereas Ad 4
generated the least brand recall. It was concluded that sex appeal in advertising works well
but only if it is appropriate with the product and within an appropriate level of explicitness.