Sex is one of the most widely used marketing tool. Does it really work? Does it help the fastest growing brands? This feature will explore the topic in greater detail.
Caution : Potentially not safe for work images ahead.
No new vehicle launch event is complete without leggy models in tiny skirts. Motor shows, especially the ones hosted in Asian cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and of course, the king of all cleavage fest, Bangkok Motor Show, are better known for their models than the latest concept cars.
Don’t think sex is used to sell male oriented products only. Calvin Klein has one of the most sexualized ads selling female oriented products.
As is Gucci,
And exclusively women’s brands like YSL and women’s magazine.
Men are often unfairly stereotyped for responding well to sex oriented ads. But in fact, sex is even more pervasive in ads targeted at women. Just flip through any girly mag.
In the study of psychology, it is said that the strongest instinct is self preservation. Right behind this is sex. Sigmund Freud[1], one of the greatest minds in psychology would later postulate that man (as in humans) is primarily motivated by biological drives; self preservation and sex. Thus explains sex being such a powerful selling tool, simply because it works on a very primal instinctive level.
Ad for Pearl Tobacco brand in 1871. This is one of the earliest recorded use of sex in marketing. Side note : the image of the lady shows how different the ideal feminine form has changed, compared to over 100 years ago.
Long before Freud presented his academic paper, marketers (or whatever you call them in those days), already knew that sex is a powerful selling tool. In 1871 the Pearl Tobacco started putting picture of a naked woman on the cover of their cigrattes. And this was long before the advent of an organized Madison Avenue type folks running an advertising industry.
Advertisers use all sort of metrics to measure effectiveness of their ads. Elaborate survey tools are used to measure things like brand awarenses, ad awareness, top-of-mind recall, and these data are cross referenced against numbers gathered for shopper traffic, enquiries, actual purchase etc etc. The results are then used to tweak and perfect their ad delivery. The fact that sex continues to be a highly popular theme is an obvious testament of its effectiveness.
So we have established that sex does sell. No questions about that. But the next question we want to explore is how effective is it? Is sex a more powerful tool than say…humour? It is said the in the old days of Ferrari, when the old man Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari was still at the helm, Ferrari didn’t have a marketing department, and certainly did not put out any advertisements. Mr. Enzo was a complicated man, who holds great disdain not only for corporate fluff, but also his own customers. The concept of meeting customers needs and that customer is always right is alien to him. Just ask the late Mr. Ferrucio Lamborghini. The only reason Enzo sells cars to rich playboys was only to finance his racing operations, the only thing he cares about. His marketing plan was simple, win a race on Sunday and sell on Monday. Of course, that was almost 30 years ago.
We have compiled quite a number of car ads with sexual theme below. You will notice that some of them are just plain stupid, while others are sexy yet brilliant.
From the hippie 50s and rocking 60s.
To more recent ones.
BMW Premium Selection (Certified Used BMWs) in Greece
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, featuring Catherine Zeta Jones
Renault Clio, UK, featuring American burlesque model Dita Von Teese
Nissan Tiida, Australia, featuring Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City
Nissan Juke, USA, in a 4-part ad featuring SI Swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker. This is the first of the four.
Nissan is the official partner of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit 2011 Model Search, promoting the Juke. A four part short film was produced for the Internet (below).
Lexus LF-A, in partnership with Sports Illustrated magazine.
Fisker Karma
MINI Cooper. The ad was not approved though. But it was shown on Internet.
You may want to turn down the volume or put on headphones.
Nissan Pathfinder.
This is an ad for a Romanian car insurance agency.
Ad Age is a marketing and advertising industry magazine. At the close of the 20th century, Ad Age compiled a list of Top 100[2] most successful advertising campaign. Out of the 100 most successful ads of the century, only 8 involved sex. Top of the list is VW’s “Think Small” campaign that ran in USA, for the original VW Beetle.
The ad was revolutionary because it was counter-cultural, the anti-thesis of a typical American car ad with vibrant colours, blonde girls, shouting big metal, shiny chrome and fin tails. The VW ad started minimalism before minimalism was even a word. The ad was in black and white, with lots of white space. It tells a story that small is good, and less is more. VW’s ad campaign shouted only one specific attribute at a time. Some say it was this ad that started the whole “unique selling point” theory thought in all business schools today.
Following “Think Small” were other follow up campaigns that were just as successful. One ad titled “Lemon” left a lasting legacy until today. The common American practice of using the word “lemon” to describe problematic cars originated from this ad, which said “We pluck the lemons, you get the plums.”
While everyone else was shouting things like being the fastest and the biggest, VW celebrated its “slowness” and “smallness.”
Readers flipping through magazines or newspaper, bombarded with fancy ads will reach the VW ad and notice how “artifical” the previous ads were. VW’s ad were very believable, and all grounded on factual, deliverable promises. The VW Beetle went down in history as one of the most popular cars ever made. While many marketers love proposing post-modern lifestyle oriented ads, VW eschewed frivolous promises and instead focused on specific product attributes that a customer can actually enjoy, which became the 20th century USA’s most successful ad.
The next great brand building story took place about 20 years after the Beetle.
The story of Lexus began in the 1980s. First launched in USA, Lexus quickly became the fastest growing luxury brand. Mercedes-Benz took almost 100 years to establish itself as a genuine premium brand worthy of charging mega high prices. BMW took around 50 years. Lexus overtook both Mercedes and BMW in just 10 years (albeit only in USA). Like the VW Beetle, the Lexus story was rather counter-cultural. Just as the Beetle was an anti-thesis of the big car shiny chrome culture so prevelant in the 1950s, Lexus was birthed in an era where luxury and prestige equals German. At that time, the notion of a Japanese luxury car being on par with the best of Germany was blasphemous. Crucial in aiding Lexus’ quick rise to the top was a series of very product specific marketing campaigns, all crafted to point to the Lexus brand’s theme of “Relentless Pursuit of Perfection”. Today, the image of a champagne tower on top a Lexus LS’ hood, engine revving away, is now forever associated with Lexus.
So again, the most successful branding campaign in recent history, used no sexual references. Of course, Lexus is no longer growing as fast as it used to. But they had a real good run in the 90s. The current fastest growing luxury brand is Audi.
Now fast forward to the Youtube, Facebook, Web 2.0 and what not era. Unruly Media operates a Viral Video Chart[3]‘s which tracks ad viewing on Youtube, Facebook and blogosphere. In its list of 20 most viewed automotive ads, only 1 uses sex.
No.1 spot is occupied by VW’s “The Force” ad for its new Passat. I am sure everyone have seen this before. According to some metrics, it is now the most viewed ad in history. Rather than sex, it had a good dose of humour.
Second spot is occupied by Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon” for its Sienna minivan.
But if you consider ads by automotive brands that do not sell any specific cars models, then the most viewed ad is “Fun Theory[4]” by VW. It has attracted over 16 million views so far and is ranked No. 15 in the most viewed videos of all time (includes all videos, not just ads). Fun Theory is an initiative by VW as an indirect campaign for its eco-friendly Bluemotion powertrain, supporting to bigger “Think Blue[5]” campaign. The reference to the ultra successful Think Small campaign is intentional.
And of course, the most recent highly circulated automotive ad has to be Kia Soul’s Hamsters featuring LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem. How can anyone within the Soul’s target market not like this?! Over 5 million views so far. To date, it is the only marketing icon from an automotive manufacturer to be inducted into the highly coveted Madison Avenue Walk of Fame[6].
In conclusion, sex does sell but only just. Ads with the highest views and most lasting impression rely on originality, humour or that wow-factor. Sex is only a powerful marketing tool only if it is used appropriately, else it is just a pointless distraction that does little to raise the brand’s profile or even understanding of the product.
And lastly, while we are on the topic of advertisement, media company WPP-owned research company Millward Brown did a ranking on the world’s Top-100 most valuable brand. No.1 was Apple followed by Google in second place. In the previous 4-years, the top spot was held by Google. When was the last time you saw an ad for either Apple or Google? Precisely my point.
Apple and Google do run TV commercials, but mainly in USA only and most of us hardly / never saw any of their ads. But you wanted their products and all of us agree Google certainly made our live better.
We will continue to track for automotive ads with sexual themes in the future – read about the most recent ones at this tag[7].
Sex in advertising. Is sex the best selling tool?
by autoindustrie | October 3, 2011 1:37 pm
Summary :
No new vehicle launch event is complete without leggy models in tiny skirts. Motor shows, especially the ones hosted in Asian cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and of course, the king of all cleavage fest, Bangkok Motor Show, are better known for their models than the latest concept cars.
Don’t think sex is used to sell male oriented products only. Calvin Klein has one of the most sexualized ads selling female oriented products.
As is Gucci,
And exclusively women’s brands like YSL and women’s magazine.
Men are often unfairly stereotyped for responding well to sex oriented ads. But in fact, sex is even more pervasive in ads targeted at women. Just flip through any girly mag.
In the study of psychology, it is said that the strongest instinct is self preservation. Right behind this is sex. Sigmund Freud[1], one of the greatest minds in psychology would later postulate that man (as in humans) is primarily motivated by biological drives; self preservation and sex. Thus explains sex being such a powerful selling tool, simply because it works on a very primal instinctive level.
Ad for Pearl Tobacco brand in 1871. This is one of the earliest recorded use of sex in marketing. Side note : the image of the lady shows how different the ideal feminine form has changed, compared to over 100 years ago.
Long before Freud presented his academic paper, marketers (or whatever you call them in those days), already knew that sex is a powerful selling tool. In 1871 the Pearl Tobacco started putting picture of a naked woman on the cover of their cigrattes. And this was long before the advent of an organized Madison Avenue type folks running an advertising industry.
Advertisers use all sort of metrics to measure effectiveness of their ads. Elaborate survey tools are used to measure things like brand awarenses, ad awareness, top-of-mind recall, and these data are cross referenced against numbers gathered for shopper traffic, enquiries, actual purchase etc etc. The results are then used to tweak and perfect their ad delivery. The fact that sex continues to be a highly popular theme is an obvious testament of its effectiveness.
So we have established that sex does sell. No questions about that. But the next question we want to explore is how effective is it? Is sex a more powerful tool than say…humour? It is said the in the old days of Ferrari, when the old man Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari was still at the helm, Ferrari didn’t have a marketing department, and certainly did not put out any advertisements. Mr. Enzo was a complicated man, who holds great disdain not only for corporate fluff, but also his own customers. The concept of meeting customers needs and that customer is always right is alien to him. Just ask the late Mr. Ferrucio Lamborghini. The only reason Enzo sells cars to rich playboys was only to finance his racing operations, the only thing he cares about. His marketing plan was simple, win a race on Sunday and sell on Monday. Of course, that was almost 30 years ago.
We have compiled quite a number of car ads with sexual theme below. You will notice that some of them are just plain stupid, while others are sexy yet brilliant.
From the hippie 50s and rocking 60s.
To more recent ones.
BMW Premium Selection (Certified Used BMWs) in Greece
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, featuring Catherine Zeta Jones
Renault Clio, UK, featuring American burlesque model Dita Von Teese
Nissan Tiida, Australia, featuring Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City
Nissan Juke, USA, in a 4-part ad featuring SI Swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker. This is the first of the four.
Nissan is the official partner of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit 2011 Model Search, promoting the Juke. A four part short film was produced for the Internet (below).
Lexus LF-A, in partnership with Sports Illustrated magazine.
Fisker Karma
MINI Cooper. The ad was not approved though. But it was shown on Internet.
You may want to turn down the volume or put on headphones.
Nissan Pathfinder.
This is an ad for a Romanian car insurance agency.
Ad Age is a marketing and advertising industry magazine. At the close of the 20th century, Ad Age compiled a list of Top 100[2] most successful advertising campaign. Out of the 100 most successful ads of the century, only 8 involved sex. Top of the list is VW’s “Think Small” campaign that ran in USA, for the original VW Beetle.
The ad was revolutionary because it was counter-cultural, the anti-thesis of a typical American car ad with vibrant colours, blonde girls, shouting big metal, shiny chrome and fin tails. The VW ad started minimalism before minimalism was even a word. The ad was in black and white, with lots of white space. It tells a story that small is good, and less is more. VW’s ad campaign shouted only one specific attribute at a time. Some say it was this ad that started the whole “unique selling point” theory thought in all business schools today.
Following “Think Small” were other follow up campaigns that were just as successful. One ad titled “Lemon” left a lasting legacy until today. The common American practice of using the word “lemon” to describe problematic cars originated from this ad, which said “We pluck the lemons, you get the plums.”
While everyone else was shouting things like being the fastest and the biggest, VW celebrated its “slowness” and “smallness.”
Readers flipping through magazines or newspaper, bombarded with fancy ads will reach the VW ad and notice how “artifical” the previous ads were. VW’s ad were very believable, and all grounded on factual, deliverable promises. The VW Beetle went down in history as one of the most popular cars ever made. While many marketers love proposing post-modern lifestyle oriented ads, VW eschewed frivolous promises and instead focused on specific product attributes that a customer can actually enjoy, which became the 20th century USA’s most successful ad.
The next great brand building story took place about 20 years after the Beetle.
The story of Lexus began in the 1980s. First launched in USA, Lexus quickly became the fastest growing luxury brand. Mercedes-Benz took almost 100 years to establish itself as a genuine premium brand worthy of charging mega high prices. BMW took around 50 years. Lexus overtook both Mercedes and BMW in just 10 years (albeit only in USA). Like the VW Beetle, the Lexus story was rather counter-cultural. Just as the Beetle was an anti-thesis of the big car shiny chrome culture so prevelant in the 1950s, Lexus was birthed in an era where luxury and prestige equals German. At that time, the notion of a Japanese luxury car being on par with the best of Germany was blasphemous. Crucial in aiding Lexus’ quick rise to the top was a series of very product specific marketing campaigns, all crafted to point to the Lexus brand’s theme of “Relentless Pursuit of Perfection”. Today, the image of a champagne tower on top a Lexus LS’ hood, engine revving away, is now forever associated with Lexus.
So again, the most successful branding campaign in recent history, used no sexual references. Of course, Lexus is no longer growing as fast as it used to. But they had a real good run in the 90s. The current fastest growing luxury brand is Audi.
Now fast forward to the Youtube, Facebook, Web 2.0 and what not era. Unruly Media operates a Viral Video Chart[3]‘s which tracks ad viewing on Youtube, Facebook and blogosphere. In its list of 20 most viewed automotive ads, only 1 uses sex.
No.1 spot is occupied by VW’s “The Force” ad for its new Passat. I am sure everyone have seen this before. According to some metrics, it is now the most viewed ad in history. Rather than sex, it had a good dose of humour.
Second spot is occupied by Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon” for its Sienna minivan.
But if you consider ads by automotive brands that do not sell any specific cars models, then the most viewed ad is “Fun Theory[4]” by VW. It has attracted over 16 million views so far and is ranked No. 15 in the most viewed videos of all time (includes all videos, not just ads). Fun Theory is an initiative by VW as an indirect campaign for its eco-friendly Bluemotion powertrain, supporting to bigger “Think Blue[5]” campaign. The reference to the ultra successful Think Small campaign is intentional.
And of course, the most recent highly circulated automotive ad has to be Kia Soul’s Hamsters featuring LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem. How can anyone within the Soul’s target market not like this?! Over 5 million views so far. To date, it is the only marketing icon from an automotive manufacturer to be inducted into the highly coveted Madison Avenue Walk of Fame[6].
In conclusion, sex does sell but only just. Ads with the highest views and most lasting impression rely on originality, humour or that wow-factor. Sex is only a powerful marketing tool only if it is used appropriately, else it is just a pointless distraction that does little to raise the brand’s profile or even understanding of the product.
And lastly, while we are on the topic of advertisement, media company WPP-owned research company Millward Brown did a ranking on the world’s Top-100 most valuable brand. No.1 was Apple followed by Google in second place. In the previous 4-years, the top spot was held by Google. When was the last time you saw an ad for either Apple or Google? Precisely my point.
Apple and Google do run TV commercials, but mainly in USA only and most of us hardly / never saw any of their ads. But you wanted their products and all of us agree Google certainly made our live better.
We will continue to track for automotive ads with sexual themes in the future – read about the most recent ones at this tag[7].
Source URL: http://www.motorindustry.org/2011/10/03/sex-sells-is-it-true/