Sex Sells (Not)
Marketing Maven Holly B. recently posted on addiction and how companies are addicted to certain types of advertising. This by way of explaining why they will continue to spend money on tactics that don’t work. And, they’ll continue to do so even when their own customers tell them to cease and desist. Which brings us to “sex sells.” Well, um maybe - if your target market is hormone-crazed, not terribly bright young males (Whoa! Dude, where’s my car?) But, most of us aren’t targeting those fellas. (They all depend on their parents for spending money anyway.)
So, does sex really sell? Not for most of us. In fact, it can alienate the very people you’re trying to attract. (We can talk about cheap, bad beer some other time.) For more, read the young girl’s perspective at Business Week.
The grown-up woman’s perspective? Well, for the most part, we just yawn, roll our eyes at the silliness and move on. We neither need nor want to look like a drug-addicted waif or an underage hooker (just about any new or “exciting” clothing store these days.)
Lastly - even if you get the attention of the man’s - ahem - “little brain” that doesn’t necessarily translate into a sale. Is he going to remember the blonde bikini twins or your company’s name?
Tags: advertising, marketing, marketing to women, marketing troubleshooting
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August 21st, 2006 at 8:01 am
Wow - that business week article was great - my two favorite parts were
“The use of a man’s fantasy to sell female products doesn’t make business sense.”
Ya think????
But at the end, the authors say - sex can sell to women if it uses fantasy, romance and other factors that are part of women’s fantasies.
The best part is, however, the comments. it’s been my experience, that any time you talk about how women really feel about advertising - there are guys who jump on the bandwagon and tell you you are full of …well….I’ll just leave it there.
Thanks for getting me all riled up on a Monday morning Mary!
Holly
August 21st, 2006 at 8:46 am
But one has to wonder - those guys that are telling us we’re full of…
which of their brains is doing the - ur - typing??? Heh.
August 21st, 2006 at 8:54 am
And, to follow on to your comment, Holly, re fantasy and romance. There’s a BIG difference between sensuality, sensous, erotic (all great in the proper context) and partronizing, demeaning porn.
For example, some of the sexiest scenes in movies are the ones where nobody is taking off any clothes (yet). Kevin Costner’s speech in Bull Durham about “long slow kisses…” The dance to “Don’t Know Much” In the Amish barn in Witness. “I came back through time for you, Sarah Connor” from The Terminator(which I think is one of the best romance movies, but then I’m a geek.)
I always wonder why some enterprising entreprenuer doesn’t simply compile a disk of the “best of” clips from movies such as Bull Durham, Witness, The Big Easy (”Oh, now, Dahlin’”), and Last of the Mohicans. (”No matter how far, no matter how long. I WILL FIND YOU!” Oh my!) Would make a great Valentine’s gift!
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:12 pm
My take is that sex opens our perceptions to change. We are all vulnerable in our sexual selves; a sexually charged images grab attention, elicits emotion, and opens us to an opinion - we can’t dismiss it.
I agree that most sex in advertising is from a male perspective and fairly tasteless but let me offer an observation.
I was sitting with my mate at a bar at one of the hip restaurants frequented by the twenty something crowds last Friday night. We are both over 40 but very open minded and still couldn’t help commenting on how the women dressed. Clearly, sex in advertising has helped sell them their fashion sense, male perspective or not.
Everyone has a social trump card to play and for the 24 year old beauty queen or stud muffin, it usually isn’t their ability to discuss NIETZSCHE no matter how knowledgeable they are on the subject.
Sex in advertising is about our fantasies regarding how we see ourselves and who we want to attract. We can SAY we don’t want so much sex in our marketing, but what we respond to isn’t always what we SAY we’ll respond to. Until there is a backlash in a marketer’s pocketbook, expect more of the same.
August 24th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Bruce,
Mating rituals will always be with us - and are great fun (if my ancient memory serves). However, there is a big difference between personal interaction and mass knee-jerk marketing with sexual images for the sake of sex. (”Hey, slap a photo of a nekkid woman on the box - it’ll sell!”)
As a side note, I could have talked much more intelligently about Nietzche when I was 24 than now. Those college philosophy classes were still recent memory. And, my skin-tight french-cut jeans were legendary on my dorm floor…I did the whole young, blonde babe thing up right (ur, wrong?) but was a geek at heart (and was most attracted to guys that had a big head-based brain and weren’t afraid to use it.)
The social scene is a whole different thing - and from what I read - very confusing these days - what with otherwise smart, accomplished young women dressing like ‘hos and expecting the guy to pick up the check AND be treated as equals and peers at work. No wonder this marketing stuff is so hard.
Further, I think if we could really dig at sales data (and do the customer research) we could find there really is backlash in the companies’ pocketbook. They just don’t know it. Falling sales are attributed to everything from the fickleness of customer to increased competition to the economy.
August 27th, 2006 at 11:34 am
I agree with all - I’m just not so sure about the digging at sales data. As you say, mating rituals amoung young people are confusing so the sales data will probably be even more confusing.
I’ll stick with my story: nothing much will gain our attention quite like human sexuality. Naturally, there is a line not to be crossed but I believe the push back will have to be very loud and clear before we see too many scaling back.
August 28th, 2006 at 7:33 am
“Nothing much gains our attention quite like human sexuality.”
Ah, that’s where the whole debate starts, isn’t it? Even when/if true, does it get the right kind of attention - as illustrated in the Biz Week article.
And, there is such a thing as trying much too hard (ME! ME! LOOK! LOOK! SEX!) Rather like a 60-year-old woman wearing short shorts. Sure, she may have the body for it, but she looks like she’s trying way too hard to be something she’s not. Just doesn’t look right.