Sex Sells - Design context essay by Monika Malewicka

legere Jan 01/21 £5.99

sex sell

Body image & gender stereotyping in advertising.

SEX SELLS Definition of advertising Advertisements surround us everywhere. They are an inseparable part of our lives and there is no way to completely cut ourselves off from them. None of us is indifferent to advertising.

They make us want more. They are the sweet promise of a better life. Advertising is like a portal that opens the door to a new dimension of sensations and desires.

Advertising has many definitions and one good one is not enough. The word advertising comes from the Latin word reclamo and means shouting to someone. The simplest definition of advertising is any paid form of non-personal representation and endorsement of goods, services or ideas by a broadcaster. This is where the economic aspect comes in, because behind every advertising message created is the person who pays for it. Thus, the main objective of advertising is to convince the audience about the advantages of the product by providing positive information about the product. The producer of the advertisement tries to interest the potential customers in the product, to lull the fears and uncertainties of the potential customer about the product, while arousing their desire to possess the goods in question, and thus to bring about a transaction.

Advertising is communication between creators and audiences. It is to make sure that the customer deserves much more, not just a product, but the joy of having it, the right look, the sense of beauty and prestige. The customer does not buy an advertisement that shows toothpaste, but the assurance of having a beautiful, snow-white smile. Advertising in this way reaches a wide audience, not just a target group of potential customers.

Catchy slogans, rhythmic music and the addition of humour make the ad more interesting, focus the viewer’s attention for longer and do not select the audience. The image must be presented in an interesting way to be successful and stand out from the rest. The message and numerous references must reassure the recipient of the uniqueness of the presented product and its effectiveness. Along with the demonstration technique goes another technique - lifestyle reference. Advertising by referring to the lifestyles of others, often successful people who are unattainable and trendsetters, must assure the viewer of the ad that by owning the product they are able to change their lives for the better.

It works on the desire to possess and be noticed by others. This gives a feeling of prestige and improves the morale of the unit.

One thing has always been known- sex sells everything. To understand why the use of sex in advertising is not going out of fashion, one needs to go back to the beginning of the use of sex as an advertising medium.

USING FIRST BODY IMAGE The first idea of ‘sex sells’ can be considered the Pearl Tabacco ad of 1871. The poster depicts a naked woman with a shawl over her legs and in the midst of the sea waves. Other than the name Pearl, there is no product information on the post. Using a woman’s body to advertise a commodity was something new, controversial, and made people emotional. However, the advertisement was very successful and made the company a profit. This gave another company, which also sold tobacco products, food for thought.

In 1885, W. Duke & Sons decided to use the same advertising strategy of using the female body. They created a series of trading cards that could be found in packs of cigarettes. The women depicted on the katas were bent in provocative poses. Through the card treatment, W. Duke & Sons made a large profit from the sale of card products and thus became the market leader.

GENDER STEREOTYPE origin In the 1920s and 1930s the use of sexual overtones or direct reference, strengthened the position of this technique in the art of advertising. Although World War I caused a change in attitudes towards work done by women, this was due to necessity rather than to women being allowed to permanently perform activities that were considered typically male. When the war was over and the soldiers returned home, it was clear that they would take over the work done by the women, while they would only focus their attention on household chores and their husbands.

And although women gained full voting rights in the United States in 1920, it was a fresh topic and did not have full acceptance among the public. Before the 1920s cigarette smoking by women was a symbol of a fallen woman or a prostitute. During World War I, cigarette smoking by women was taboo. Women who wanted to change social norms and have different rights like men contributed to the change in attitudes towards female smoking. For them, the symbol of smoking cigarettes symbolized rebellious independence, chic, seduction, success and allure.

Men were responsible for creating the ads. Favorite themes were to appeal to conservative family values or to male desires. In order to do so, gender stereotypes were used, in which the woman was portrayed as submissive and thoughtless. These were often images of women in the role of housewives, without having much ambition. The only thing that mattered to them was having a clean and neat home and the well-being of their husband. A popular ad was the image of a woman wishing to get a new Hoover vacuum cleaner for Christmas, or the ad showing a woman, wearing a nightgown, delighted with the effect of Griffin Microsheen shoe polish. The second stereotype popular at the time was the portrayal of women as sexual objects, akin to femme fatale. These were often images of talented artists or young girls who would give in and take up the game without commitment as soon as they got a cigarette of the right well-known brand. Sexism was not only tolerated, it was promoted, mainly through print advertisements.

Women didn’t have many opportunities for a career.

At best, they got jobs as secretaries, nurses or teachers. Of course, there was also the option of getting married, which derailed any chance of getting any work. Women who had ambition and wanted to get ahead were not taken seriously by dominant men, but also by other women who ridiculed them. The ‘sex sell’ technique worked and the woman remained an object. This trend has prevailed through the years.

SEX SELLS IN ADS AND CAMPAIGNS A famous advertisement from the 1930s. There is certainly a commercial for Lucky Strike brand cigarettes. The post features an attractive brunette with red lips holding a cigarette in one hand along with a cigarette case, which reflects the image of a man who is ready to give her a lighter. The advertising slogan also stands out and reads: ‘Be Happy - Go lucky!

Here’s why Luckies taste better’. The recipient of the advertisement, may think that by smoking cigarettes of this brand he will have success with the opposite sex.

A US Department of State advertisement that appeared in the 1940s was also harmful. She proclaimed, “Turns out you gals are useful after all. It was an advertisement encouraging women to help soldiers who were fighting the enemy. It’s all the fault of the prevailing stereotypes that have been imprinted and perpetuated.

The 1950s and 1960s in the United States, advertising was an extremely powerful marketing tool.

They have been referred to as the ‘advertiser’s dream decade’. The end of the war made Americans more willing to spend money. A television set was in almost every home, and the possibilities for advertising services seemed endless. A popular advertisement in the 1960s. was a Tipalet commercial. It was clear that cigarettes and smoking them is reserved for men, but is attractive to women. The ad features a young, attractive woman with her lips slightly parted and leaning fascinated over a man who is smoking a cigarette and looking her straight in the eye. The advertising slogan is ‘Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere’.

Another ad from this period made for cigar manufacturer Bebnson & Hedges boldly proclaims that “A woman is only a woman but a good cigar is a smoke”.

And while there is no image of a woman, and the ad only shows a man’s hand with a cigar in his hand about to grab a glass of Scotch whisky standing on a table along with a package of the brand’s cigars, the ad leaves no illusions about the role of women.

Ads that were sexist and prejudiced against women continued to dominate. One such advertisement was for Bayer Healthcare’s Yasmin birth control pill. An attractive, smiling brunette is at the center of the image, and men with naked torsos are gathered around her. The advertising slogan is ‘That’s right boys. . . I’m on the pill!’ It made her a woman who was easy and accessible to everyone.

Morality in Advertisisng It wasn’t just a pharmaceutical company that put on a blunt ad with a woman as a sex object. This was led by the ‘Fly me’ ad campaign for National Airlines. The campaign became a showcase for an airline company where it would seem that flight attendants are included in the ticket price. The campaign caused an uproar and was boycotted by the National Organization for Women’s Rights.

Advertisements for alcoholic products and in particular the Passport Scotch brand also left no illusions.

They often presented the same attractive, long-haired blonde in different situations. One shows a woman in the role of a scantily clad cleaning lady serving a tray of Passport brand liquor to a bent man. The woman claims the man wanted to take her passport. The woman in this commercial always comes off as stupid.

And it would seem that the 1980s. will be different. Nothing could be further from the truth. The cult of the body still prevailed. However, the technique used, which was the ‘sex sell’ in advertising, mainly concerned industries that had benefited from human desire for years. Such industries included cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, fashion, tobacco and alcohol producers. The use of sex as a means of advertising, no longer surprised anyone, it became something normal for society. Sex has worked well to advertise products that people buy impulsively and are low risk.

In 1990s. the fashion industry in particular has used the image of sexually bent and scantily clad young girls to promote a product. The Calvin Klein brand was keen to use such a procedure to promote Jeans and they also invited young model Kate Moss. She was only wearing the jeans. The commercial was a hit and made a lot of profit that it saved the brand from financial trouble. Companies such as Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel and Abercrombie & Fitch have also followed suit and created ads featuring semi-nude models.

The latter brand even created bags with images of its topless models and a catalogue in which there was no advertising of the product, while the pages were filled with pictures of half-naked models. Using sex definitely helps sell clothes.

Such treatments were also used by the manufacturer of the brand Wonderbra, where the Czech model Eva Herzigova presented her breasts in a bra of the brand. The slogans on the billboard were also meant to grab attention. One of them was, ‘I can’t cook.

Who cares?’. The advertisement caused a lot of confusion among the public and contributed to the increase in accidents on the roads.

Golden MEan in Advertising ’Sex sell’ ads are more carefully crafted than most, often prepared based on various studies and discussions held on the topic. Every detail, look, gesture and word used in a campaign counts. The target audience is changing fast, so ad producers have to put a lot of effort into regular research in order not to be left behind. To create the effect of spontaneity and frivolity requires a lot of effort.

Social media is a new format for the advertising industry. It gives the impression of a place where almost every user can actively participate and discuss the actions of a given brand and oppose objectification, hypocrisy in the form of unrealistic and retouched bodies or the use of human instinct in order to make a lot of money. And although there are boycotts, as was the case with the ad campaign entitled Beach Body Ready for the Protein World in which a very slim model in a yellow bikini presented the ideal body that most women should have when going to the beach, the reference to sex in advertising has not ceased completely. Sex is the strongest incentive to share content. Social media makes sure that brands seduce potential customers as well as make people outrageous.

It is worth asking the question, is there a golden mean in advertising that will not allude to sex? The ingrained stereotypes that have been nurtured by ad producers over the years have left society unable to completely rid itself of them, despite the desire for change.

Companies like Calvin Klein have sex written into their corporate strategy. This company’s ads are designed to provoke and allude to sex. And although the times are changing and people’s awareness is growing, the scheme used by producers of advertisements does not change, because they know very well that better is an advertisement that will awaken emotions and desires in people, which will be controversial. The ad will thus be remembered and noticed by most.

In conclusion, sex and its abuse must be handled with care in advertising. Adding this element will not necessarily increase the appeal of the campaign. If a product doesn’t naturally connect with the erotic, it can ultimately achieve the opposite of its intended result.The senses and emotions play an important role.

The senses are triggered by visual and auditory stimuli. It is widely believed that the most effective form of reaching a mass audience is the use of the senses in advertising. The problem arises when the use of the senses as a means of advertising a product overshadows the promotion of the product and ceases to be an answer to the needs of the potential consumer and becomes just an empty sensation.

SEX SELL