Sexuality is considered one of the most powerful tools of marketing and particularly advertising. Post-advertising sales response studies have shown it can be very effective for attracting immediate interest, holding that interest, and, in the context of that interest, introducing a product that somehow correlates with that interest.

The use of sex in advertising can be highly overt or extremely subtle: from relatively explicit displays of sexual acts, down to the use of basic cosmetics to enhance attractive features.

Sex in advertising has stirred controversy for many years, an advertiser must be careful when incorporating it in a campaign. Sex appeal can increase the effectiveness of an ad or commercial because it attracts the customer’s attention. However, great advertisers consider not only the attention-getting power of an advertisement or commercial, but also what kind of emotional response it provokes in customers. Studies show that the attractiveness of the endorsing model provokes positive responses. Nudity and graphic erotic content, while still increasing consumer’s attention, doesn’t really generate positive feelings among viewers. In other words, advertisers must be careful to avoid the “cheap shot,” which may negatively affect a brand’s image. To avoid that, the sexual content in advertising must be appropriate to the product category and have a proper underlying message.

For example, these ads for Bendon Lingerie were posted on the street poles right before Valentines Day. Using street poles as stripper poles is ingenious design for advertising.

















Or another example of an effective use of sex appeal in advertising is the ad of Che Magazine. It combines the image of a gorgeous woman and a coupon skirt to get attention for their magazine. The tag line reads "Let us keep on dreaming of a better world." Using the desire to get a hot woman's number and offering a convenient means of getting it is brilliant, no?
















Sex sells, yes, but only when used “in good taste.” Marketers must think not only in getting customers’ attention for the short term, but also in building a brand reputation that will yield long-term results.