Last Updated on February 27, 2024
Sex in advertising is the use of sexual or erotic imagery in advertising to draw interest to a particular product. This sex appeal is used to increase profit margins for purpose of sale.
Usually a pretty woman is used as imagery, typically having no connection to the product being advertised.
This type of imagery that may be used is very broad, and would include nudity, cheesecake, and beefcake, even if it is often only suggestively sexual.
Sex has been used in advertising ever since the beginning. From a marketing point of view, sexuality can have biological, emotional/physical or spiritual aspects.
Sex in advertising works so well because of a simple factor; people are curious about sexuality. Advertising used women in erotic roles and poses more often than men.
In recent years however, the use of female models in such roles is believed to attract the attention of potential male customers. Ironically, research shows that most major purchases are made by women.
Unless your product relates to sex, using it as an element to sell your product is seen as “lazy.” Consumers, and religious conservatives, sometime get upset with a company that uses this technique because it is often considered as obscene.
Many people, including me, believe there are many other ways to advertise a product without using sexual imagery. Do you feel the same? Comment below and let us know!
To give you some of the best sexually related advertisements, we have gathered a great collection for you to check out. Below we provided examples from companies that use sex in advertising. We hope you will find this collection inspirational. Enjoy!
Note: Some of the content in this post might not be suitable for work. NSFW