“Sex sells,” according to the conventional wisdom on Madison Avenue, a principle that has led advertisers to use sexual imagery to sell everything from automobiles to cleaning supplies. But a new study shows that sex–or violence–doesn’t sell at all, that advertising with sexual or violent imagery tends to be ineffective. That’s because the imagery distracts viewers so much that they don’t remember the actual product they are supposed to buy!
From Laura Colby, Sex Doesn’t Sell After All, Study Says – Bloomberg Business:
Maybe sex doesn’t sell after all.
Commercials that feature sex and violence — or appear on programs with that kind of content — are less effective than those with neutral themes, according to a study published by the academic journal Psychological Bulletin.
Violent and sexual television programming impairs viewers’ memory because it diverts attention from the advertising, said Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University and co-author of the study, which analyzed the results of 53 previous experiments.
Results were similar when ads themselves contained sexual or violent content, he said.
“It never helps to have violence and sex in commercials,” Bushman said. “It either hurts, or has no effect at all.”
The study concluded that “brands advertised in violent contexts will be remembered less often, evaluated less favorably, and less likely to be purchased than brands advertised in nonviolent media. We also suggest that advertising in sexual media may not be as detrimental as advertising in violent media, but does not appear to be a successful strategy either.”
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