The Sexy Side to Marketing

We all have a sexy side, no? Even some of our businesses reflect that side in the way we market them. Sometimes the most corporate businesses can find a way to make marketing sexy, and if used tastefully, it can definitely work. And why not, it ‘s true, SEX SELLS.
It ‘s ever so tempting to add some sexual spice to our visuals, voice, or vocabulary. Here in the United States, we see it on television advertisements for everything from beer to deodorant to gum. Some spare us the subtleties in letting us know:
If you by this product you ‘ll get ‘some ‘.
Of course, some advertisers are slightly tasteful in their presentation.
Take Old Spice for example…their ads translate into:
Buy my product, get noticed, have women sniff you in a crowded party as you walk by, get a kiss and eventually…uh, yeah, you get some!

Sex in Advertising
Sex works best when the product or service can honestly promise increased sex appeal: perfume, apparel, and a fancy car or jewelry. Even such products like toothpaste can promise to make your breath fresher and your smile irresistibly kissable. With products like these, enhancing your sex appeal can be a persuasive product benefit, and therefore, it should be the focus of your ad.

For ads aimed at women, they can be successful for the most part with the romance approach through using the stereotypical images; roses, soft lights and music. One of my favorite warm and fuzzy commercials is the one when the couple looks like they are in the middle of Paris, when the boyfriend yells out, “I LOVE THIS WOMAN!” and the pigeons fly away as they giggle and spin around with stars in their eyes. How cute.I know the men reading this need a barf bag right about now. You ‘re excused fellas. Sorry, just had to share with my girls. LOL! That was a diamond commercial if memory serves me correctly.

Most diamond ads use the romantic approach. Although most men buy diamonds, they buy them for women who generally authorize the final purchase decision. So, it does make sense to aim the ads at women. If there are any sexual undertones, they are extremely subdued and done tastefully.
For many products, it ‘s pretty easy to find or create a sexual connection. But the use of strong or mild sexuality can help attract and sustain attention, no matter the product or service. Some ads go from clever to shocking, to … “oh come on now, you know that ‘s not EVEN right!” I’ll go over a few of my favorite examples of sex in advertising.

1. Take a look at this scenario for instance

You ‘re strolling through the mall and glance up at the store’s name, “Wait a minute did I read that right? (Only changing because it’s read not said.) You wipe your eyes and look again, oh…it’s FCUK, FRENCH CONNECTION, UK…but of course! Their online store even sounds a bit, well…see for yourself:

2. Or better yet, take a look at this charming ad I found.

She leans forward, exposing an eye popping view of her cleavage. The headline reads, “This is Debbie. She wants you to have this pair in your car.” The rest of the ad tries to convince consumers to buy the grease gun cartridges she holds in either hand. Riiiiiight…but what ‘s even scarier is they have her number in the ad. She works for them! Hope you got a raise Debbie. Times musta been hard for her!

3. Tantalizing Event Promotions

The typical party promoter will send a big graphic of a sexy woman licking a cherry and then the promotion says, “Come out for a sophisticated evening,” Sophisticated? And you ‘re promoting it like that? It ‘s getting a bit tired guys. That ‘s why I actually look forward to Lucky You emails from Nicole Hill. Her personal introduction to promote her exclusive PASSWORD PARTIES is what makes her invitations unique. They are not over the top with a zillion graphics, nor do they have photos of sexy women; but her copy is very intriguing and makes you crack a smile at her wittiness.

She also sets herself apart from the rest by not calling herself a party promoter, she said in one invite, “I prefer to be called an event producer, a socialite, or a friend maker…” How ‘s that for positioning?

She also sets herself apart from the rest by not calling herself a party promoter, she said in one invite, “I prefer to be called an event producer, a socialite, or a friend maker…” How’s that for positioning?

Here ‘s a sample of one of my favorites. Her stories usually clue you into the password to use for that evening, which will gain you entrance to the party.
You ‘ll see it ‘s sexy and tasteful, and most importantly it works!

“last week, after the party, i received an email from a male friend who had been to the party. he asked if i could get him in touch with a ‘girl ‘ he had seen there; she was sitting in a corner section, toward the front, for most of the night. he asked in his email that i would not reveal his true identity. so i won ‘t. but i will say: to the young lady with dark hair, sitting toward the front with a group of friends…there ‘s a really handsome guy that thinks you ‘re hot. (& he hopes he ‘ll get to see you tonight to tell you so personally.) is that discreet enough? true story.”
You can find Harlem ‘s ‘only ‘ password party…. When you step to the rope, tell the lady what she wants to hear: “True Story”

And another of my favorites…

“last week i was on the A train heading downtown. being the “sexually challenged” young woman that I ‘ve (somehow) turned into recently, i started flirting with a less than average guy who sat down next to me. he sat down so close, i could feel his thigh and hip bone on me…why was i sooo turned on? i fumbled to write down my email addy right b4 i ran off the train. he was pretty shocked when i gave it to him! yeah…..it ‘s sad, but true. i am now officially sexually challenged and desperate… ha!
but if you see me tonight, don ‘t even mention it. I ‘d rather talk about you and your exciting life.
You can find Harlem ‘s ‘only ‘ password party…. When you step to the rope, tell the lady what she wants to hear: don ‘t mention it.”

4. Sexy and Funny Television Spots

One of my favorite commercials introduces AXE — a body spray deodorant —apparently a prime example of a metrosexual product. According to its maker, Unilever, “A stylish brand [that] boosts young men ‘s confidence and attraction through the combination of a distinctive masculine fragrance and long-lasting deodorant protection.”

An early series of AXE ads featured an attractive blonde standing next to a mannequin in front of a red velvet curtain. Each spot began the same way: She would explain that AXE is a body spray for men, and she ‘d spray some on the dummy. Then the “AXE effect” would kick in. In one ad, looking instantly intoxicated, the woman says, “Hey sailor” to the mannequin, and suddenly her boyfriend bursts into the frame and punches its head off. (“Doug! We were just talking!”) In another, a second woman moves in closer to smell the alluring scent of AXE on the just-sprayed mannequin. This caused the spokeswoman to drop her smiley façade and yell in a “sistah-girl attitude”, “I KNOW YOU ‘RE NOT TOUCHING MY MANNEQUIN!” These are hilarious spots. And as you can see, humor and sexual undertones work well. AXE can also be interpreted as: it ‘s so sensual, it can make any dummy seem attractive. LOL ~okay, so that ‘s my interpretation, no offense to the AXE wearers out there! ~

Some more recent AXE ads are not subtle at all. In one, a handsome guy who hasn ‘t finished buttoning up his shirt strides into an elevator. He sprays on some AXE, exits, and another guy — who appears to be a less sexually appealing — gets on. Apparently the smell of AXE lingers in the air, because the attractive woman who steps in next finds herself drawn to his dorky charm. It ‘s the Power of AXE! She presses the emergency stop button. In the next shot, the doors open and apparently she ‘s mauled him in a quick make-out session. She ‘s straightening her dress, his hair is wild and he looks dazed and confused.

I ‘ve got a question: anyone ever smell this stuff? Let me know if it ‘s really that good!

5. Online Ads…Statistics Neva Lie

One thing I love about online advertising is that it ‘s so trackable. When you have statistics at your fingertips you can see what ‘s working and what ‘s not.
SCOTTeVEST manufactures clothing for techies and those travelers who want “to carry and use their electronic gadgets without being burdened by wires and bags.” The brainchild of Scott Jordan, SCOTTeVEST makes jackets, baseball caps, and other gear with special pockets for multiple electronic devices, including cell phones, PDAs, and CD players.

Techie clothes with Inspector Gadget pockets, sexy? I think not. However, when Jordan brought a former Playboy Playmate Becca Scott for its marketing, a fleece pull over became a little sexier. To prove my point, we can compare their original online e-mail campaign without Becca versus the one with her.

FYI:
Open Rate=How many times the e-mail was even opened and read.
Click Thru Rate (CTR)=How many times a link was clicked.

WITHOUT PLAYMATE :
The March 2003 edition didn ‘t include Becca. It went to approximately 48,000 recipients. The open rate was 27 percent and CTR on opens about 31 percent.

WITH PLAYMATE

The following month ‘s newsletter featured Becca. The open rate was about the same (26.22 percent), but the real difference was in click-throughs. The CTR on opens was 58 percent. Nearly half came from the Becca section of the newsletter.
Given the attention Becca generated, Jordan took the idea and ran with it. His company dedicated an entire section of its site to Becca. It even included free Becca Scott wallpaper for computer desktops. Jordan doesn ‘t have an exact count of how many copies of the program have been downloaded, but estimates it ‘s in the hundreds of thousands.

It’s okay to keep it SEXY!

Simone