Voyeurism in marketing FMB by Alice Taylor

Voyeurism in Fashion Marketing & Branding Word count - 2200 ALICE TAYLOR

Contents

Introduction 5

Why do Brands use Sex to Sell? 8-9

The 21st century combatting Voyeurism

12-15

Steven Meisel 22-23 References 28-29 2

4 When did Sex start to Sell? 6-7 Does Sex Sell?

10-11

Positives and Negatives Of Hypersexualisation 18 -19 Conclusion 24-27 Bibliography 3

Introduction

When did Sex start to Sell? 1871 - Pearl cigarettes were the first example of a brand using the idea of sex sells. 1931- subtle forms of nudity began to appear. Listerine deodorant featured a photograph of a nude woman’s back and her side.

Provocative imagery within advertising and marketing is used to pull in the attention of consumers; many brands including Tom ford, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana all have campaigns flooded with controversial ideas. In this visual essay the analysis of the semiotics of the campaigns that sell ‘sex’ and those who don’t will take place. Also, understanding what makes a brand execute this well and what doesn’t through researching why brands use it and what consumers think. Furthermore, whilst evaluating the impact this has on other brands within the fashion industry.

To analyse in depth, primary research is conducted by asking a range of 18-30-year olds a series of questions about the impact of brands using sexualised images. Showing images from certain campaigns will conclude what semiotics the images portray to the consumers; identifying which brands sell sex well. Research conducted through further reading gives an insight into what this means financially for brands who use sexualised images, if it increases sales, and also finding out theories that support the brands using sexual imagery and those who don’t.

1936 - Advertising’s first photograph of a naked woman shot by Edward Steichen for Woodbury soap Majority of sexual advertising was for fragrances, beauty products and underwear. 1940s - Elliott Springs, believed that sex attracted attention, Using double entendre, sexual innuendo and images of scantily clad women to sell products. (AdAge, 2003) 1972 - Advertisers “seduced” consumers with barely visible naked body parts and the word “sex” airbrushed into advertising images (Wilson Bryan Key, 1974)1. 1980 Calvin Klein pushed boundaries with Brooke Shields at 15, in Calvin Klein’s jeans, seductively said, “Do you know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” (Stu Pollard 2018,YouTube)

How often do you see Sexualised campaigns?

$120

Never

Does Sex sell?

31%

18%

million

made in first-year of sales for Wonderbra were largely responsible by using provocative advertisement (AdAge, 2003)4

Rarely

40%

use Sex to sell?

increase in Gucci after the relese of the spring 2003 campaign of a submissive woman. (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2004)5.

Often

1.69%

Why do Brands

82%

25% Sometimes

Yes

33%

21%

revenue increase from Dolce & Gabbana was reported by the end of the fiscal year of 2007, with Alessandra Ambrosio featuring. (Casely-Hayford, 2015)6

66%

Yes

Is Sex appeal working for brands? 7

Does Sex Sell? Brands use sex to sell as it increases profits. It is often seen that in male targeted adverts, females are used either in a form of nudity or in a sexualised way. It can be made clear that “both men and women have deep primitive-brain desires for sexual stimulation. – Women with their innate preferences for words and emotions – men who are hardwired for visual stimulation, prefer pictures” (Elizabeth pace, 2009)7. When females are used to sell male products, it links to the cognitive “attraction to moving shapes- one particular moving object has a heightened effect on the male brain –a woman” (Elizabeth pace, 2009)7; when tied with high levels of testosterone, the consumers is instantly attracted to a controversial sexualised advert. For most brands it is important to use sexualised imagery in campaigns to draw in attention: “to convince a man to buy, you must speak directly to his top priorities” (Elizabeth pace, 2009)7. Brands like Tom Ford may be scrutinised due to their use of sexualised imagery, however they are doing exactly what is necessary to gain consumers attention and attract them to their products.

Most campaigns lack any links to the products because “Advertising for almost as long as its existed, has used some sort of sexual sell, sometimes promising seductive capacities, sometimes more simply attracting our attention with sexual stimuli, even if irrelevant to the product or the selling point” (Pollay, R. W. 1986)8. Therefore, brands including Tom Ford and Gucci know that the need to sell a product is not as important as catching the gaze of the consumers, and so sexualised adverts are used frequently where the products are hard to sell without the consumer trying it first; like fragrances and colognes.

How has the 21st century changed

A subbmissive woman with provocative placing of the males hand gives this photo a sexualised culture of domination and sexism. Make-up and clothing make this image stand out as a date night or couple as they are both dressed smartly. Dark lighting of the image having a connataions to a romantic or ‘sexy’ visual. 10

voyeuristic views?

A major influence of the marketing of brands is the social constructs that models and brands face once used in certain images. As sex isn’t always widely spoken about, the difficulties some brands face when using sexualised images or sexist views can have great downfall for them. Most campaigns are thought as degrading, as “Ads weaken women’s power by presenting them not only as objects of the male gaze, but also as objects as pornographic gaze” (Debra Merskin, 2006)9. To force a woman into a submissive position to that of a male, no longer works in the 21st century due to change in attitude towards inequality and household stereotypes. With movements including the #MeToo movement, provocative imagery with males in a dominant position are becoming less crucial to brands because they don’t sell as well, due to these views of a submissive and dominant culture. Consumers no longer want to buy into that particular nature of a brand and so these provocative adverts are being seen less and less. When a group of 32 people were asked ranging from 18-30-year old how often they see Sexualised campaigns featuring women, 8 stated ‘Sometimes’ and 10 stating ‘Rarely’ and one had ‘Never’ seen one. This shows that in the 21st century Brands aren’t likely to only use females as their form of marketing and the use of sexism has reduced over the years.

Negatives of Using

With large brands using sexualised images of women, including erotic, sexy and cute types of advertising, there became major concerns of “the use of young girls as symbols of sexuality in advertising and the contribution this portrayal may make toward the sexual exploitation of children” (Alice E. Courtney, 1983)11, and so in 1980, the Brooke shields Calvin Klein campaign caused uproar as at 15 she was seen in a ‘pornographic’ image; implying “sexual access to the female is the reward for buying the advertised product” (Alice E. Courtney, 1983)11. This proves that sexualised adverts have to be carefully thought out, otherwise they can be detrimental to the brand, as seen by Calvin Klein suffering after the launch of the 1980’s campaign.

The female is overuled by males in this photo, with signs of struggle, the strong stance of three men and the fourth holding as if to contain her provokes the thoughts of domination and power.

The shirtless models bring an essence of sex, contridicting the other element of the image whereby the model could be seen as voyeuristic towards the female.

voyeuristic views? Hypersexualisation

Negatives include that due to religion and feminist movements, the way females are portrayed in most adverts receives scrutiny, as they produce negative connotations of women who see them. They also get scrutinised in the 21st century because it can be classed as body shaming, because a lot of brands keep to one model. In a book called Body work by Sylvia Blood, she stated “self-scrutiny, confession and public revelations of women’s bodies/subjectivity are actively encouraged in body image articles” (s. Blood 2005, Body works)10; the negative impact that brands have on women in the 21st century ensure high controversy over certain campaigns. In many marketing campaigns it is seen that women are in a more submissive role, consequently for S. blood to state that women criticize themselves over images in the marketing industry, may be seen as a positive for the brand as they want the males to feel more empowered. However, in most cases “the more attractive the male or female model, the more both sexes like the advertisement” (Alice E. Courtney, 1983)11, showing that even though advertisements spark self-criticism of the consumer, the adverts are often used because they do in fact attract consumers.

However, brands like Tom Ford, Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana use this as their unique selling point, and for the most part it works as they’re a ‘sexy’ brand. With brands who have high-end consumers, they can use sexualised images more so than a mainstream brand, as their target mar-kets are smaller; also “because complete nudity is extremely rare in mainstream advertising, nudity is often represented by side and back shots of the model” (Tom Reichert, 2003)12. This shows that as the use of nudity isn’t used often, consumers aren’t used to it therefore it becomes controversial for the mainstream brands. Voyeuristic images for high end brands work and empower the consumer. A lot of the models used are females, with males as the accompanying model, meaning that females are the main feature; potentially because brands like Tom ford, are selling male products therefore use voyeurism to do so. Essentially any product can be marketed through the association of sex appeal. There are certain industries and brands that sell almost exclusively through sex appeal, such as perfume and cologne marketing, alongside high-end and luxury brands. Researchers have referred to sexual referents as ‘implicit’ (Bello et al.,1983)13 as references to sex are normally done through the use of double en-tendre or innuendos, so brands don’t have to necessarily use nudity in campaigns, as referents still attract the consumer due to it being psychologically relatable. Sex appeal can increase the value of an advert because it attracts the customer’s attention to either buy or look, even though it can be hard to differentiate whether consumers remember the product or the advert, and if that’s the brands intention. It’s human nature to be curious about sex and so brands use this to sell products and their company name.

The nudity in this image gives an automatic voyueristic view to this image, the woman standing against the wall connotates to sex as well as the man holding her by the legs.

The silk Kimono the female is wearing is drapped across her which also relates to sex. The nudity is visually appealing however the Logo of the brand is in a provocative way and could be seen as less luxurious.

Hypersexualisation

Positives of Using

Steven Meisel A very influential photographer for Italian Vouge creates some of the more controversial and sexualised images in fashion photography. In the editorial shoot, Steven Meisel’s work has a fierce aesthetic achieved through storytelling and dominance of males in a lot of his shoots. His independence and rebelliousness of critics has led him to creating some of fashion’s best yet most controversial fashion stories for Prada and Italian Vogue. He told 032c Magazine, “My favourites are the ones that allow me to say something: the black issue; the poking fun at celebrities one; the paparazzi thing; the mental institution one; the ones that I have a minute to think about; all the ones that are the most controversial in fact. But it’s not because they are controversial that I like them, but because they say a little more than just a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress. I love that too, but to try and say something is also my goal.” (Alexandre De Looz, P, 2020)14. For a photographer to encourage themselves to work with controversial views in mind or with a particular voyeuristic vision, it is important for a brand like Prada, of whom Meisel works with, as it gives them the edge that not all high-end brands possess. Additionally, it gives the idea of voyeurism in fashion marketing a less negative view to the ordinary consumer because such large brands work in that manner. Meisel may view his work in this way - “Ads with sexually explicit visuals are more entertaining, interesting and original than non-sexual ads, but also potentially more offensive” (Severn et el., 1990)15 ; showing that the more controversial the advert is, the more likely it will stand out to the target consumer.

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20 21

Conclusion To conclude, whilst the use of voyeurism in branded advertisements maintains to be disapproved by society on a large scale, the fact is, despite the ‘distasteful’ appearance of some ads, it has been proven to sell products. The sales of products sold whilst using sex ideals in the adverts is undeniably greater, than those without it. This is linked to the cognitive association between men and shapes, and women with double entendre, which despite the 21st century opinions on the sexualisation of women, and the feminist movements, brands will continue to use this method to sell their products as they know it works. The power of sexual imagery has an undeniable power in the sale of products, and using it by major high-end brands, it seems very unlikely that it will stop. This normality of the use of sex by such large brands, has paved a way for other smaller brands to intertwine it into their campaigns, which creates the notion of standardising such culture, when in fact if the ads achieved a more equal portrayal between men and women, then it would appear less harmful to the positions of each.

References

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•

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• •WordPress, April 16, 2011. 1871 Tobacco Ad [Online]. WordPress. Available at: https://sexyadvertising.wordpress. com/2011/04/16/66/ [Accessed 19 February] 27

Bibliography Books: • Bello, D, Pitts, P.E, & Etzel, M.J (1983) The communication effects of controversial sexual content in television programmes and commercials. Journal of advertising. • Courtney, A, E., 1983. Sex Stereotyping in Advertising. Edition 1. Toronto: LexingtonBooks, D.C Health and Company. • Engstrom, E, Reichert, T, 2007. Investigating the use of sex in media promotion and advertising. Volume 13. Binghampton: BestBusinessBooks (pgs. 171). • Key, W., 1974, Subliminal Seduction, [Digital Image] 2nd ed, New Jersey: Berkley. • Pace, E, 2009. The X and Y of Buy. Edition 1. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc. • Pollay, R. W. (1986) the distorted mirror: reflection on the unintended consequences of advertising. Journal of marketing, 50(2) 18-36. • Reichert, T, 2003. Sex in Advertising. Edition 1. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. • Reichert, T, 2009. Sex in Consumer Culture. Edition 1. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. • Saunders, D, 1996. Sex in advertising. Edition 1. London: B.T Batsford Ltd. eBooks: • Blood, S., 2004. Body Works [eBook]. Edition 1. London: Routledge. Available via: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=isqAAgAAQBAJ&dq=self+scrutiny,+confession+and+public+revelations+of+women%27s+bodies/subjectivity+are+actively+encouraged [Accessed 19 February 2020]. Websites: • Business News Daily Editor, 2020.Why Sex Sells… More Than Ever [Online]. Business News Daily, Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily. com/2649-sex-sells-more.html [Accessed on 18 February 2020]. • Business Of fashion, Steven Meisel Biography [online]. London: Business Of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/steven-meisel [Accessed 25 February 2020]. • Casely-Hayford, A, 2015. Top Ten Controversial Fashion Campaign [Online]. HungerTV, Available at: https://www.hungertv.com/feature/top-ten-controversial-fashion-campaigns/#main-menu-toggle [Accessed on 25 February]. • Statista Research Department, 2015. Opinion: advertising depicts women too sexualized in the UK 2015, by gender [Online], Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/483152/advertising-depicts-women-in-an-overly-sexualized-way-uk/ [Accessed on 21 February]. • WordPress, April 16, 2011. 1871 Tobacco Ad [Online]. WordPress. Available at: https://sexyadvertising.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/66/ [Accessed 19 February] Government Publications: • United States of America, Securities and Exchange Commission, 2004. Form 20-F; Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, For the fiscal year ended January 31,2004. The Netherlands, Gucci Group N.V Magazines: • Alexandre De Looz, P. (2020). Who Is Steven Meisel?. 032c, [online] (37). Available at: https://032c.com/who-is-steven-meisel [Accessed 19 Feb. 2020]. 28

Newspaper Articles: • The International Herald Tribune, 2008. ‘Tom Ford brand says it beat sales budget’. The New York Times [Online], June 24, 2008. Available at: https:// www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/style/24iht-Ford.13950301.html [Accessed on 25 February 2020]. Articles: • AdAge, 2003. Sex In Advertising [Online]. Available via: https://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/sex-advertising/98878 [Accessed on 22 February 2020] • Schneidnes, J., 2008. Tom Ford [Online], WWD, p. 26. Available via: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1434313751?accountid=14693&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo [Accessed on 17 February 2020]. Blogs: • Hill, J, P, 2019, The Plural of Hyena… And Other Things I Find Fascinating: Vintage Deodorant Ads [Online Blog] [Digital Image], posted on January 3, 2019. Available at: lazyspleen.blogspot.com/2019/01/vintage-deodorant-ads.html [Accessed 20 February 2020]. • Hossack, F, 2017, Tom Ford Banned Campaign [Online Blog], Posted on January 30, 2017. Available at: blogs.brighton.ac.uk/lm131/2017/01/30/tomford-banned-campaign/ [Accessed 26 February] Social Networking Websites: • Calvin Klein Jeans – “Brooke Shields – Nothing” (80’s Commercial), 2018 [YouTube] Stu Pollard, 12 January 2018. Available at: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=cD3zMCWwQeo [Accessed on: 25 February 2020]. Audio-visual Resources: • ‘The 1950’s’, 2017. The Real Mad Men of Advertising. Episode 1. [TV] Smithsonian Channel, 8 January 2017. • ‘The 1960’s’, 2017. The Real Mad Men of Advertising. Episode 2. [TV] Smithsonian Channel, 8 January 2017. • ‘The 1970’s’, 2017. The Real Mad Men of Advertising. Episode 3. [TV] Smithsonian Channel, 8 January 2017. • ‘The 1980’s’, 2017. The Real Mad Men of Advertising. Episode 4. [TV] Smithsonian Channel, 8 January 2017.

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