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An Enticing Advertising Companies are constantly competing for the wider audience. We can not search the web, watch television, skim a magazine, or even drive down the street without in countering multiple ads, but do ads seem to be reveling more than they used to? A child could learn all about the birds and the bees, AMPS, DE, and many other matters which were once only talked about behind closed doors from a single ad. (Achieve) It is no secret among advertisers that sex, being a world language, sells and is a perfect miens of grabbing the attention of the public, but how does society result from all of the exposure?
Is all of the sexuality in the media really healthy for young viewers or older viewer for that matter? What alternatives are available which would not drastically affect company sales or have destructive effects on society? Though many companies have seen increased sales since the prominent use of sex as an advertising tool, new advertising tactics are showing better effects and have resulted in less problems than this seemingly outdated sales pitch. The reason the public finds sexual ads attractive may seem obvious, but the real motivation behind these the companies’ methods is not always o clear.
Ads which sell sex are often confused with ads selling beauty. So what is the difference? Some ads clearly promote sex and appeal to the public in a sexual way. For instance, condom commercials obviously promote intimacy. Pine-Sol also aired a commercial not too long ago in which Diane Amos is lying on a bed while a shirtless muscular man mops beside her. Other ads, however, like those of Victorians Secret attract men on sex-appeal but are actually aimed at women. So what sells women on an ad displaying a sexy, curvy, bronze, female model?
In these cases the motive is not to remote sexuality but an unrealistic image of perfection which the customer can become. (Simon) The object is to con the viewer into believing that if they buy the product they will become like the person in the picture. Men are sold on beauty without realizing it as well. Ads for jeans, razors, body-spray, and so many others that star an athletic male model with perfect teeth and hair have the same effect. Because of the growing homosexual and bisexual communities these methods often overlap serving both purposes. Therefore, these ads are often thrown into one class.
Whether the approach of advertisers is to seduce or promote an unrealistic unattainable image, these ads have no doubt impacted society’s definition of beauty. Such a definition leads today’s children to question their appearance, and many grow up with feelings of inadequacy. (Hades) Whatever the motive, companies promote sex in their ads in various ways depending on the class of their product and ad placement. Originally it was believed that sex in ads was more useful toward men than women, this is not the case when emotional intimacy justifies the sex.
For example women preferred a sexually explicit watch ad hen the watch had a bow about it and was described as “a gift from a man to the special woman in his life. ” Such positioning hurt the advertisements appeal for men. (Middling) When location and style are not enough companies turn up the heat in order to compete for business, but how much heat is too much heat? New York ad agency Chitchats is trying to contain the damage after J Penny, took the firm to task over a fake viral ad that makes light of teen sex.
The ad, “Speed Dressing” shows a couple practicing for when they finally hook-up by striping their clothes off and putting them back on quickly. The pot displays Penny’s logo and campaign slogan, “Every Day Matters. ” (Sanders) While Penny rejected this ad, ads just like it and worse are released publicly everyday. While businesses are seeing positive effects from these ads, including increased sales and publicity, over the years society has displayed worsening negative externalities to the ads.
There is no hiding from sexual exposure with all of the ads for sexual disease or dysfunction medications, ads for condoms and birth-control, ads for safe sex, and many, many others. (Achieve) Parents have no control over what information their children encounter. Often times children know such topics before their parents have a chance to talk with them about the dangers of sex, any religious beliefs involving sex, or the time, place, and people with whom to discuss such topics. Young people are often misinformed by the media and their peers, having been misinformed by media ads, about sex and sex related topics.
Much of the public is concerned with just what kind of warped portrayal young girls, and boys alike, have of beauty and their own self-image. Unrealistic images of perfect bodies and glorified women are being used to promote products aimed at the young generation and some believe this may encourage them to dress and act salaciously. Not all of the the workers who work at the companies advertising sex and utilizing sex-appeal agree with their methods, and many feel that the practices of the companies give them, the workers who are just trying to do a good job, a bad name. Hoops) Organizations have been established to regulate ads based on public opinion, but some seem to have taken the job of judging advertisements into their own hands and ignore complaints from viewers. After hearing overwhelming complaints from viewers ad regulating organizations such as the Australian Association of National Advertisers and the Advertising Standards Bureau are beginning to review their code of ethics for the first time in more than a decade. In its annual review, the ASP found a 15 percent jump in complaints about sex and nudity over the past years, making up 40 percent of all complaints.
The bill board ad for Gasp Denim that showed topless women in jeans sparked the most complaints in 2009. Over 250 calls were made for the ad to be drawn, but the bureau dismissed the calls. (Sermons) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is striping its buses of racy “Sex ND the City’ ads. The 220 signs are posted throughout Boston and display actress Sarah Jessica parker in a skimpy, pink dress under the words ‘Sex every night 1 1:pm”. “L felt that this was dirtying the neighborhood,” stated Pastor Bruce Wall. This may be alright for married couples but not for teens who are viewing the ad. ” Wall insisted he is no prude, but said the ad is ‘inappropriate’ in a city concerned with sex offenders and sends the wrong message to children. More is being done to regulate ads, but with all of the media types in use, is it really enough? Could there be an alternative? Though ads which promote sex are still the most popular and widely used, many advertisers are beginning to find that better informed customers are those most inclined to purchase.
A more fool-proof approach than simply catching attention with risky images or phases and then hoping someone purchases a good is just to be straightforward with people and stop all the hype and jive. Consumers are not as blinded by the works of advertisers as they once were. Now after seeing an ad, consumers head online to research product’s specifications, reviews, and nature of production before buying a product. Park-Lane Homes, placed ads in the Georgia Straight and other places that drove people to a Website abundant with information.
They attracted the attention on social sites like Twitter, Flicker and Backbone. They used the sites to drive people to the main website for The Block. When content with the information which they have gain about a product, individuals are motivated to buy and tell their friends and family about the product. Customers should be the media. That is, they should take the place of traditional media outlets by creating communities around issues and things that people care about. Instead of using this among many proven tactics, some older executives want to keep things the way they have always been, traditional flashy media.