Could “Sex Sell” More Savvily?

Posted on | July 27, 2008 |

by Andrea Learned

After this week’s blogosphere discussion of the BMW ad (see my LOW post and my Huffpo piece, if you are interested), and input from a few men who did admit, that - indeed - sex still sells for them (but not the Lolita thing so much), it made me wonder: Could sexual innuendo, if it must be used, be presented in a more sophisticated, less lazy way?

Take, for example, those Carl’s Jr. ads with Paris Hilton washing a limo and being “hot?” They certainly hit the nail on the head in targeting the core fast food customer: young men. In a recent Ad Age article, the brand’s CEO puts it like it is - sex has been selling quite well, thank you. But, would there have been a slightly more sophisticated way to play the Paris Hilton angle and catch the eye/imagination of the core customer, yet not offend (or gross out) anyone else who saw it?

Unfortunately, that which pains those who are not young men still has advertising worth. It’s the way of our traditions and culture. From the advertising angle, even if sex didn’t sell in measurable numbers, the buzz generated (even negative) can really help the overall branding cause. The over-the-top BMW ad we’ve been discussing certainly got a lot of notice. So, was it worth it to outrage so many people, especially, perhaps, women who blog? I’m guessing BMW will think so.

Here’s the thing: if men, young and old, tend to find pretty much anything sexy - as evolutionary psychologists might say - why go to such extremes? Must sexy ads be so near-pornographic? Or would Paris Hilton in a wet bathing suit, but not straddling a car, be enough? Could BMW’s ad agency have used a beautiful, career-type female model for the used car campaign and made the same tagline - “you know you’re not the first” - work? That might just have succeeded, and with less likelihood of irritating or outraging potential new luxury vehicle prospects, male or female, in the process.

I have faith and awe in the creative talent I’ve seen over the years in the ad industry. Therefore, I DO think it is possible to raise the bar, conduct more research, and come up with clever, subtly sexy ads that resonate in a less obvious way. The “did you get that undertone?” insider’s club, on its own, would generate a lot of buzz. Perhaps most importantly, innocent bystanders wouldn’t have to go along for the slimy ride should they choose not to.