In advertising, there are several methods for reaching consumers, including sexual ads, to increase the likelihood of conversion. These methods include the use of a product’s image congruence.
The research was conducted with a sample of college students. The study’s moderating factors were the model’s gender and age, as well as the date of publication and sample.
Attention
Attention-grabbing sex ads are effective at capturing people’s attention. The researchers tested this theory using an experiment where they presented participants with advertisements related to the sex industry and non-sex products. They then gave the participants a questionnaire, assessing their attention to the different types of ads. The study found that participants were better able to remember sex-related ads than non-sex-related ones.
This study suggests that advertisements containing sexual imagery increase consumers’ attention to the advertisements, although the effects were moderated by the program type. For example, advertisements that feature sexual models were more likely to increase attention in men and women than ads with non-sex content.
Orienting response
Although the use of sexually oriented advertising has been increasing, research has been minimal. While the theory suggests that consumers respond differently to sexually-oriented advertisements, little research has been conducted on the actual effect of this type of advertising. As a result, most studies focus on “Look Ma, No Theory” approaches to studying this type of advertising.
However, these studies do not address the question of whether sexualized ads are more effective than those that do not depict sexual content. The results do suggest that there are gender differences in the emotional appraisal of sexual advertisements. For instance, males perceive female nudity in ads in a more positive way than do women. The findings may also have implications for public policy.
Recall
A recent study investigated whether explicit sexual advertisements affected the recall of advertisements. The study participants viewed two kinds of television shows – one that featured sexual content and the other without any sexual content – and completed free-recall and cued-recall questionnaires. They also answered a questionnaire about their gender identity and rated how appealing the sexual content of each television program was. The results showed that participants recalled the sexual advertisements better than the non-sexual ones. Interestingly, there was no significant interaction between the programme type and the type of advertisement.
The researchers also observed that both males and females remembered the same scenes from the ads. However, the recall of sexual adverts was significantly lower for men than for women who were in the non-sexy TV programs. The researchers hypothesized that the interruptions in the television programmes may have affected the recall of the ads.
Heineken’s Premature Pour campaign
“The Premature Pour” is an advertisement for the beer brand Heineken. It is an attempt to win over domestic beer drinkers. It parodies heterosexual men’s hang-ups over homosexuality and ties the product to human behavior. It was a massive hit with consumers, receiving over fifteen million views in the first three months.
As a global brand, Heineken has a massive following on social media. It is one of the biggest beer brands, with nearly 24 million Facebook followers. This is far larger than the followers of the next-largest beer brand Budweiser, which has 14 million. The three other brands, Guinness, Carlsberg, each have less than three million.
Lingerie ads
The advertising of female underwear has long been a controversial topic, with images of scantily clad women being a particular source of irritation. The ASA, the Advertising Standards Authority, has ruled that sexual ads must be banned. Despite their blatant attempts to censor ads, ASA censors often hide behind the cloak of feminism. Despite this, lingerie companies have been under fire for a long time for allowing explicit images to appear in their advertisements.
Lingerie sexual ads are prohibited in many countries. These ads use suggestive and pornographic language and may include a woman’s pubic region, full breasts, and nudity hidden under sheer fabric. Nevertheless, there are some ways to violate the Code without compromising the standards of advertising for lingerie.
Heineken
The Heineken sexual ads have drawn both criticism and praise from advertising industry experts. They believe the ad was offensive to men and should not have been made. Creative director of 18 Feet & Rising, Anna Carpen, says that Heineken should have thought about what it was doing. But there are also pros to this commercial, including the powerful storytelling and clever use of sexual innuendo.
The Heineken ad was originally produced as a local commercial for the Netherlands, but it quickly became a worldwide sensation. In its first three months of broadcast, the ad was watched by nearly 15 million people worldwide. Moreover, the ad inspired unofficial tributes and spoofs. After the viral success of the ad, other Heineken marketing directors in other countries started calling Amsterdam to request the ad for their regions. As a result, the ad was aired in more than 45 countries around the world.
Heineken’s “Premature Pour”
In 2002, Heineken began an advertising campaign called “It’s All About Beer” in which an ad features a sexy woman pouring beer. The commercial contains both direct and implicit sexual references, and it boosted sales by 13%. Its a great example of how to make sexual content relevant to a product. However, it must be done with tact.
While Heineken’s sexual ads have caused controversy, the campaign’s success has been based on consistent increases in sales and brand positioning. As a result of the campaign, Heineken increased its ad budget. By the end of 2001, the brand budget reached $50 million. While Heineken changed its advertising agency twice in two years, the brand remained committed to the “It’s All About the Beer” slogan and continued to target young people.
