Sex Sells? Oh Really?
Back in November, I marked my five-year anniversary at About.com with 5 Things I've Learned in 5 Years at About.com. It was one of the most comment-provoking pieces I've ever written. In particular, some people really took issue with my third point, "Sex sells." I received several emails from people criticizing me for including this in my list. The following was a typical example:
Dear Scott:
While the two Jenna Jameson and Hugh Hefner articles have credited traffic spikes, there are many people who have positively influenced America by keeping their clothes on. Technically, Bugsy Siegel, created Las Vegas, but no one credited him with "lifestyle creation." Please feature higher-caliber people and remember, that none of the small businesses that become Fortune 500 companies (Microsoft, FedEx, Yellow trucks, etc.) have ever resort [sic] to selling sex to achieve their status. It's not an opinion, check the list for yourself because credibility is the currency that all entrepreneurs seek when starting businesses.
Sincerely,
Carla Jenkins
Washington, DC
This week, following the Super Bowl ad frenzy, in particular the provocative Go Daddy "Spot On" ad (watch video), I was reminded of this topic, which I hadn't had a chance to publicly reply to.
First of all, Jenna Jameson and Hugh Hefner are just two of about twenty famous entrepreneurs I've profiled, plus dozens more I've linked to, including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Henry Ford and the late Anita Roddick. So those two constitute less than 10% of my coverage of the topic.
That said, I don't have to hold them up as role models of personal morality in order to say that there are valuable business lessons to be learned from them.
Hugh Hefner created an entirely new market category -- something very few entrepreneurs have done. Jenna Jameson redefined an industry, completely changing the business model because of the strength of her brand and the partnerships she was able to attract. They both were able to grow and diversify considerably beyond their original product, and they both have managed to successfully create self-sufficient organizations that generate enough passive income for them that they can be business owners, not just business managers. Those are invaluable case studies for every entrepreneur.
But now onto the bigger issue... "Sex sells."
Let's take a look at the Go Daddy case study. According to CEO Bob Parsons' blog:
Our Web site has never been busier!
Before the game was over, we received right at 1.5 million visits to our Web site. We had a whopping 2 million visitors for the day. This compares to last year when we had less than 1/2 million visitors.
We spent a lot less money!
During last year's Super Bowl, we purchased and ran 3 spots - two spots during the game and one during the post-game. This year we purchased only 1 ad, which aired in the 2nd quarter. So for a fraction of the cost we generated 4 times the action. Not shabby, when you can do it.
One final surprise.
More than 160,000 customers took our survey after viewing the ad on GoDaddy.com's Web site. 75% were male and 17% were female. The vast majorities of viewers liked "Exposure." But here's the surprise, 17.1% of males and 16.5% of females disliked the commercial - there was virtually no difference between the sexes!
...
The surge in traffic continues.
Traffic to our Web site today is up over 4 times normal levels.
I think Parsons said it best in another post about their Super Bowl 2008 decision process:
But the real test concerning any ad's effectiveness is simply this: did it generate sales?
In Go Daddy's case, the answer is a resounding, "Yes. Sex sells."
But what about the rest of the Fortune 500? Is it true that "none of the small businesses that become Fortune 500 companies...have ever resort [sic] to selling sex to achieve their status"?
For starters, a lot of the Fortune 500 are in industries that just don't lend themselves very well to sexy advertising: energy, banking, insurance, etc. And obviously, there are limits to what these companies can do in mainstream media. Still, let's see if we can't find a few examples of Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies using sex to sell. (WARNING: While none of the linked videos or photos contain actual nudity, you might not want to be pulling them up at work, i.e., "NSFW")
- Ford Motor Company (#12) has come under extensive criticism and even a boycott from conservative groups for its ad campaigns and event sponsorship targeted at the homosexual market. One Volvo ad (Ford owns Volvo) included three nude men in a shower together, bare bottoms showing. While a little bit tamer for broadcast television, check out these Ford ads:
- Procter & Gamble (#25) owns dozens of brands, some of which stretch the company's generally squeaky-clean image, particular the Herbal Essences campaign featuring women faking orgasm while washing their hair and the tag line: "A totally organic experience." That approach shot Herbal Essences from zero to $700 million in just seven years -- a phenomenal success by any standard.
- Johnson & Johnson (#36) are manufacturers of K-Y personal lubricant and yes, they have TV commercials, even for the U.S. market:
- K-Y "Intrigue"
- K-Y Warming Gel (I found this Spanish version on YouTube, but I've seen it in English on U.S. television)
- Pfizer (#39) manufactures Viagra, Eli Lilly (#149) makes Cialis and Bayer (#158 in Global 500) makes Levitra. You have all of them to thank for the various ads warning you to call a doctor if you experience an erection lasting longer than four hours.
- Time Warner (#48) owns a number businesses featuring strong sexuality, including:
- HBO, which features numerous sexually-oriented documentaries in their Late Night series. Its Cinemax subsidiary features so much softcore pornography that it's referred to as "Pornomax" in pop culture. While you may think of that as "programming", not "advertising", keep in mind that this programming is what helps sell subscriptions and is a competitive differentiator from the free cable channels.
- Sports Illustrated, whose annual swimsuit issue contained over $35 million in advertising in 2005, according to Slate, in addition to pictures of women in skimpy (and occasionally see-through) bikinis and now body paint.
- Nissan (#45 in the Global 500) has made some pretty sexy ads for the European and Australian markets, which aren't as uptight as the American market:
- Unilever (#120 in the Global 500) are makers of Axe, whose ads include:
- Boom Chicka Wah Wah (very funny)
- Axe Hot School Strippers (in Spanish)
- Axe Girl Fight
- Virgin Media (#347) is well-known for their sexy ad campaigns. CEO Richard Branson showed up nearly naked in Times Square in 2002 for Virgin Mobile's U.S. launch.
That's based on my quick scan. I would expect moving on down the list that I'd continue to find more, especially when I start hitting companies like News Corp (owner of Fox and MySpace), Limited Brands (owner of Victoria's Secret) and Harrah's Entertainment (owner of seven Las Vegas hotel/casinos).
Bottom line: many Fortune 500 companies use sex to sell.
Gallup-Robinson's Sex in Advertising essay provides a history of sex in advertising since the 1920's. Their conclusion:
Of all the ads shown in this review, more than half were tested by G&R, and their overall recall scores averaged 77% above their respective product norms. It was similarly powerful with both men and women.
But the technique does not guarantee success, as seen in the wide range of obtained scores, a range that went from one-third of norm to more than 4 times above. Its power is such that it can easily overwhelm the product and advertiser, reader reactions will be highly negative, not merely indifferent, as with many other advertising techniques.
Still, sex is a beguiling approach, one with a potentially high payout that's laced with real risk. As we said in our introduction, handle with care...
seller beware.
Researcher Dr. Tom Reichert says that sexuality in advertising is used for more than just attracting attention. In his research, he found that almost three-quarters of sexually-oriented ads in magazines also contained some kind of sex-related brand benefit, i.e., "you'll be more sexually attractive, have better more or better sex, or just feel sexier for your own sake." However, he suggests that "if sex is used merely to draw attention to a product that has no relevance to sex, then long-term success is not likely."
Of course, there are exceptions. While the sexual associations with body sprays and personal lubricants may be obvious, the connection to mobile phone service or domain registration and web hosting is essentially non-existent, but yet those still work.
So what does all this mean to you as a business owner?
One thing's for sure -- include sexuality in your advertising will almost certainly alienate some of your audience, but done well, may be more memorable and effective. Don't be afraid to polarize your audience, though. It's far better to be loved by some and hated by others than to be forgotten by everyone.
If there's any kind of possible connection to sexuality for your product, it's obviously a much easier fit. If not, it may be a bit of a stretch, but still possible (if anyone finds an example of a sexy banking or insurance commercial, let me know).
Ultimately, though, it's going to come down to your own personal boundaries -- what are you comfortable with? The incremental difference of a somewhat more successful marketing campaign won't go very far towards easing a guilty conscience. On the other hand, if you take sexuality as just a natural part of our popular culture, then you may be able to make good use of it in your marketing -- 77% above the average.
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Comments
I agree with your critics only insomuch as your highlighting the sex-selling profiteers increases their exposure (no pun intended) and profits.
Im referencing your article for a paper im writing so I find it very helpful. You mention that if anyone finds a sexy banking or insurance commercial to let you know. Well you may have been joking but i remember seeing an insurance one. If you’ve ever seen the commericals for “e-surance” the online car insurance provider you would see that they are mostly animated. Most of them features a superhero type woman in a skin tight costume.