Introduction to Management
Ryan Sullivan
Professor Michael
Using Sexuality and Nudity for Marketing
November 12, 2014
1) In the ever evolving global market, companies are always striving to remain competitive
and successful among their stiff competition. One way to attract customers is through
marketing, creating advertisements meant grab the attention of consumers and make them
want to buy your product. A common quote we hear, “sex sells,” has been taken to the next level by some companies causing controversy. This especially rings true in the
clothing and fashion markets. A recent ad run by Levi Strauss Co. basically depicts two
individuals having sex, and this commercial was aired on national television making it
viewable by anyone even children. Other companies within the market have followed
suit, trying to remain competitive. There’s obvious desperation with companies struggling to sustain relevance and a customer base. Each time, the envelope is pushed a
little bit further in an attempt to grab the attention of consumers. By saying our product
will make you look more attractive entices people to go out and by what they’re selling.
If a company fails to accomplish this, they will fall into obscurity and ultimately go out
of business. The competition of the clothing market breeds desperation and sexual
advertisements.
2) Marketing directors usually aim for a specific audience with their advertisements. Beer is
a beverage commonly consumed by men, therefore when companies like Budweiser,
Heineken, or Miller, create ads, they aim for that demographic. One thing men love more
than beer is women, so they put beautiful half naked women in their commercials
basically saying, “Drink this and you’ll get laid.” In doing so, they objectify women.
Today, feminism has become as popular as ever, and to them these ads are extremely
offensive to feminists for good reason. Therefore, in some ways certain consumers have
become more conservative. A revolution against popular culture’s projection of the perfect body image has stirred up some conversation. With women starving themselves
attempting to look like the beautiful model in the Victoria’s Secret commercial, for example, has led some people to take action urging women to ignore what they see on
television and in magazine ads and become comfortable in their own bodies no matter
how they look. However, sexual content grabs the attention of consumers, and it will
always be present in marketing culture.
3) Though their use of sexual images in advertising may be offensive to some, typically,
companies are only concerned about their target demographic. In the case of designer
clothing, they aim for the culturally perceived “beautiful people” most of the time.
They’re perfectly aware of how their ads might offend people, but as long as it gets their
targets to buy, they don’t care. It’s a calculated risk that marketing departments take often resulting in success. With many of their competitors guilty of using sexual content, other
companies follow suit. Debates about whether or not X-rated ads are socially acceptable
may arise, but if their marketing ploys weren’t successful, companies wouldn’t continue to use them. We still see sexy advertisements everywhere we go, therefore, research has
to show that this strategy must be successful. Sure, you may lose some customers, but
you attract many more who want to be like that attractive celebrity on the cover of the
magazine or in the perfume commercial in little or no clothing. For the advertisers, the
risk outweighs the reward.
4) It’s hard to find a jean or clothing company that doesn’t use some sort of sexual imagery, coarse language, or nudity in their ad campaigns unless you look towards more family
orientated companies. Giant corporations like Target and Wal-Mart have such a huge
customer demographic that they cannot afford to offend anyone. Their less expensive
product appeals to a different type of consumer. Wal-Mart is one of the biggest sellers of
Wrangler jeans, and wrangler aims towards the blue collar, working class man to sell
their product to. These guys care less about walking around with a model on their arm
while wearing $200 jeans, but rather comfort and decent style. This prompted Wrangler’s slogan, “Real. Comfortable. Jeans.” They want you to know that their product is of high
quality and comfortable. Hiring Brett Favre to promote the product, they show him doing
everyday activities like yard work and touch football instead of him frolicking around
with his shirt off practically having sex with women on camera. Because Wal-Mart is
associated with family values, Wrangler must display a more wholesome image in their
marketing. While “sex sells”, you can also be successful with plain honesty towards consumers, exemplified by Wrangler Jeans.