How Do Consumers Really Respond to Sex in Advertising?

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Abstract

a product, they did make people form a negative <a href="https://readmedium.com/perceptions-of-attractiveness-linked-to-horror-movie-reactions-fd7183b61fa2">perception</a> about a brand in the moment. The study, which was published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02650487.2017.1334996"><i>International Journal of Advertising</i></a>, found that women were more likely to have negative <a href="https://readmedium.com/want-to-feel-happier-at-work-have-more-sex-dacd31af8373">feelings</a> about advertisements that had overtly sexual appeals than men — but enjoying the advertisement was still not enough to make someone more likely to buy the products featured.</p><p id="5d98">“Certainly the evidence indicates that the carryover effect to liking the ads doesn’t influence whether they’re going to make a purchase,” Wirtz said. “We found literally zero effect on participants’ intention to buy products in ads with a sexual appeal. This assumption that sex sells — well, no, according to our study, it doesn’t. There’s no indication that there’s a positive effect.”</p><p id="5293" type="7">“Certainly the evidence indicates that the carryover effect to liking the ads doesn’t influence whether they’re going to make a purchase.”</p><p id="defe">Wirtz cited national burger chain Carl’s Jr. as an example of the lack of enthusiasm consumers have about investing in a brand that uses sexual appeals — despite how much viewers may have enjoyed the skin being shown in its advertisements. Although the company regularly featured scantily-clad models eating hamburgers in ads, it announced in a three-minute commercial in 2017 that it was taking a new approach to its advertising — by only featuring the meat it actually sells.</p><p id="8218">“If the ‘sexy ads’ had been effective, it’s unlikely the company or ad agency would have made such a drastic change,” said Wirtz. “When product is moving, people don’t make changes.”</p><p id="0378"><b><i>More from Kiki Wellington:</i></b></p><div id="5e8e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-often-is-sex-used-in-advertising-48602d875707"> <div> <div> <h2>How Often Is Sex Used in Advertising?</h2>

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    </div><p id="0799"><b>Sources:</b></p><p id="6546">Chamberlain, C. (2017, June 22). <i>Research suggests sexual appeals in ads don’t sell brands, products</i>. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. <a href="https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/522402">https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/522402</a></p><p id="2102">Hockel, S. (2017, July 13). <i>Sex Appeal Doesn’t Sell Products After All, Study Finds</i>. Study Finds. <a href="https://www.studyfinds.org/sex-appeal-ads-advertisements/">https://www.studyfinds.org/sex-appeal-ads-advertisements/</a></p></article></body>

Sex doesn’t sell as much as we may think

The idea that sex sells has been around for a long time, but when it comes to actual consumer behavior, is the use of sex in advertising really enough to make us open our wallets and buy a product?

According to a study conducted by advertising researcher John Wirtz, the use of sex may make an advertisement itself more memorable, but it’s simply not enough to make consumers buy a specific product. In fact, sexual appeals are not even compelling enough to make people remember a specific brand.

“We found that people remember ads with sexual appeals more than those without, but that effect doesn’t extend to the brands or products that are featured in the ads,” Wirtz explained.

“When product is moving, people don’t make changes.”

Wirtz and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 78 peer reviewed studies about the impact of sexual appeals used in advertising. For the purpose of the study, sexual appeals were defined as advertisements with “models who were partially or fully nude; models who were engaged in sexual touching or in positions that suggested a sexual encounter was imminent; sexual innuendoes; and sexual embeds, which are partially hidden words or pictures that communicate a sexual message.”

Though these messages did not persuade people to buy a product, they did make people form a negative perception about a brand in the moment. The study, which was published in the International Journal of Advertising, found that women were more likely to have negative feelings about advertisements that had overtly sexual appeals than men — but enjoying the advertisement was still not enough to make someone more likely to buy the products featured.

“Certainly the evidence indicates that the carryover effect to liking the ads doesn’t influence whether they’re going to make a purchase,” Wirtz said. “We found literally zero effect on participants’ intention to buy products in ads with a sexual appeal. This assumption that sex sells — well, no, according to our study, it doesn’t. There’s no indication that there’s a positive effect.”

“Certainly the evidence indicates that the carryover effect to liking the ads doesn’t influence whether they’re going to make a purchase.”

Wirtz cited national burger chain Carl’s Jr. as an example of the lack of enthusiasm consumers have about investing in a brand that uses sexual appeals — despite how much viewers may have enjoyed the skin being shown in its advertisements. Although the company regularly featured scantily-clad models eating hamburgers in ads, it announced in a three-minute commercial in 2017 that it was taking a new approach to its advertising — by only featuring the meat it actually sells.

“If the ‘sexy ads’ had been effective, it’s unlikely the company or ad agency would have made such a drastic change,” said Wirtz. “When product is moving, people don’t make changes.”

More from Kiki Wellington:

Sources:

Chamberlain, C. (2017, June 22). Research suggests sexual appeals in ads don’t sell brands, products. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/522402

Hockel, S. (2017, July 13). Sex Appeal Doesn’t Sell Products After All, Study Finds. Study Finds. https://www.studyfinds.org/sex-appeal-ads-advertisements/