How and Why Sex Sells
…
When we define sexuality, we can look at it
from a biological, emotional/physical or spiritual point of view
(www.media-awareness.ca, 2005). Sex is a
reproductive mechanism and it is a basic biological drive that exists in all
species (Price, 2002). Emotional or
physical sex represents a bond between two individuals and it is an expression
of profound emotional feelings. It is a
physical manifestation of emotions of love, trust and caring
(www.media-awareness.ca, 2005). Spiritual
sex on the other hand, is an expression of inner human spiritual life; it is an
ethereal, unearthly connection between two individuals (ibid).
Courtney and Whipple (1983, p.103)
described sex in advertising as sexuality in the form of nudity, sexual
imagery, innuendo and double entendre…employed as an advertising tool for a
wide variety of products. They state
that sex in advertising can be considered mediated messages (i.e. Television
commercials, magazine ads) containing sexual information with the persuasive
purpose of selling branded goods.
Advertising is commonly defined as any paid-for mass-media communication
(Brierley, 2002, p.2).
When sexuality is used in advertising,
certain values and attitudes towards sex are being ‘sold’ to consumers along
with products. Historically, the trend
in advertising has been to eroticise women more often than men (Reichert,
2002). According to Reichert (2003,
p.29), sex in advertising has been the motivation for increased consumer
interest and sales, for example, W. Duke & Sons inserted trading cards into
cigarette packs that featured sexually provocative starlets to increase sales
in 1885. Duke grew to become the leading
cigarette brand by 1890.
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www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/dde0301.doc
