The utilization of sexual allure in media and advertising has emerged as a major moral concern in today’s speedy world. In the United States, there has been a notable rise in employing sexual content in ads during the last ten years. This misuse is experienced daily and elicits intense reactions from individuals of all genders and age ranges. Traditionally, advertising has employed sexuality as a recurring motif because it successfully captures attention, arouses curiosity, and makes a lasting impact.
The aim of this paper is to examine the ethical implications of employing sexual allure in advertising for marketing and selling consumer products. I will contend that using sex as a tactic to endorse merchandise is inappropriate. In order to explore the moral predicament surrounding sexual appeal in advertising, this research paper will address the query: “To what degree is it morally acceptable for advertisements to utilize sexual attraction as a means of marketing and selling consumer goods?” Prior to incorporating any type of appeal into an advertisement, it is crucial to comprehend and evaluate the target audience who will be exposed to the message.
Advertising agents have the task of captivating individuals and evoking feelings to move them into action and change their conduct. They employ different emotional tactics such as fear, humor, logic, scarcity, and sex appeal to convey their message effectively. Regardless of whether consumers are conscious of the advertiser’s motives, there are two essential principles that steer the advertising process: delivering the intended message and reaching the intended audience.
After determining the target audience, the agency will select the appropriate advertisements to implement. According to research by Reichert, Heckler, and Jackson (2001, p. 18), sexual appeals in brand advertising may capture attention but are not always effective in motivating consumers to take action; they tend to entertain instead. Nevertheless, research suggests that using sexual appeals in advertising can attract teenagers and appeal to their hormones, leading them to desire a sense of beauty, sensuality, and attractiveness.
Advertisers primarily concentrate on using print ads found in magazines and on billboards to showcase sexual appeal. Brands such as Calvin and Klein Jeans are renowned for their provocative campaigns featuring semi-nude teenagers posing seductively, usually wearing only jeans. While advertisers may view these campaigns as successful and artistically valuable photo shoots, a conservative stay-at-home mother might perceive the ads as invasive, harassing, and objectifying.
As a mother, it would be natural for a woman to protect her children from those emotions. From a consumer standpoint, teenagers are the most appealing demographic for advertisers. Teenagers between 13 and 17 rely on “disposable incomes,” generated by their parents and part-time jobs. With a consistent but limited monetary flow and an independent attitude, they become an ideal audience for media and advertising impact. On average, teens spend approximately $100 per week on non-essential items (Zolo, 2004).
Teens play a crucial role for advertisers due to their susceptibility to influence and their ability to influence their peers and parents. As a result, billions of dollars are invested annually in advertising targeted at teenagers (Linn, 2004). Throughout their self-discovery, self-esteem building, and puberty stages, teenagers form brand loyalty that shapes their identity. For example, my father still considers 501 brand jeans as “cool” based on the brand loyalty he developed during his high school years.
My dad’s choice to buy 501 brand jeans when he was a teenager has made him stay loyal to the brand throughout his life. The future profits of a company are greatly influenced by teenagers like my dad, who develop brand preferences at a young age and continue to support the same brand as adults. As James McNeal stated in his book, “if you can sell to a 24 year old, you can gain all his friends without any cost.” Advertising is a profession that not only mirrors but also shapes cultural values and norms in various ways that we may not fully realize.
Advertising is subject to intense ethical scrutiny due to its power to influence individuals’ perceptions of themselves and the world around them. By shaping people’s self-image, advertisements can significantly impact their behavior, leading to numerous ethical debates. The Journal of Business Ethics highlighted the various reasons behind public complaints about advertising back in 2011.
The text highlights various reasons people have criticized advertising. These include promoting the belief that material possessions lead to happiness, fostering superficial values in society, easily distracting individuals through entertaining content, and employing exaggerations to make products seem superior. Additionally, advertising faced criticism for its excessive emphasis on exploiting sexuality and the human body in order to persuade individuals. It is important to consider the ethical boundaries surrounding sexually appealing advertisements.
What limits an ad in terms of what it can do, show or say? This question leads us to consider morals. Morals are the criteria individuals employ to determine right from wrong. Daily, we rely on our personal judgment, drawing on our experiences, moral values, and perspectives, to make ethical decisions. Unfortunately, in today’s society, morals alone fall short. Moral relativism acts as a deal breaker as individuals establish their own definitions of “right and wrong” and create their own personalized ethical framework.
Ethics act as guidelines for organizations such as ad agencies, going beyond morals. They establish boundaries for what is acceptable and what is not. TV commercials often feature attractive models and incorporate suggestive elements, such as nudity, to target emotions and appeal. Producers may even use suggestive music or audio files to convey sexuality. The use of sexual appeal in TV commercials generates more ethical controversy compared to print ads, due to the larger audience they reach.
Advertising to children is a significant ethical worry, resulting in the emergence of watchdog groups focused on preventing commercial exploitation. Prominent organizations addressing this problem include the Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children (SCEC), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: The Television and Media Committee (AACAP), and the National Institute for Media and the Family (NIMF). Lawmakers view sexual appeal in advertising as a less tangible ethical matter when compared to honesty and substantiation of claims.
Advertising featuring sexual content poses a complex challenge due to the difficulty of defining what qualifies as sexual content. Advertisements must adhere to straightforward guidelines – as long as sexual appeals are presented creatively and responsibly, without any misuse, the likelihood of encountering ethical dilemmas is low. The primary objective is to effectively communicate the intended message to the appropriate target audience and align with the specific product category. Once these criteria are met, advertisers are at liberty to incorporate their own reflective, personal, subjective, cultural, or historical values – all within the confines of the first amendment, which protects freedom of commercial speech.
Advertisers argue that incorporating controversial or sexually provocative advertisements is crucial for standing out in a saturated media environment. These ads, despite their potential to generate controversy, are more likely to be remembered by consumers. A notable example is the AXE body spray ad campaign, where explicit images of men gesturing towards women’s cleavage and inner thighs with the tagline “To get what you want” contribute to brand recognition for AXE. Nonetheless, it should be acknowledged that this intense sexual appeal may not be understandable for young children.
Once the ad is presented in an appealing manner, it becomes the consumer’s responsibility to purchase the product based on their emotions. For example, a young teenage girl watching a Victoria’s Secret commercial may believe that wearing their apparel will make her appear as stunning and alluring as the models in the commercials. Although it is clear that such lingerie may not suit everyone equally, susceptible teenagers might initially feel this way. In the end, the advertiser’s ultimate goal is to achieve a successful sale.
From an alternative perspective, the consumer plays a passive role and desires to encounter high-quality products through entertaining and positive experiences. While suggestive ads may succeed in capturing consumer attention, those that employ excessive sexual themes often generate a negative perception of both the brand and the advertisement. Conversely, ads that have minimal or no sexual appeal actually enhance the likelihood of a consumer making a purchase (Walker 1999). To address the ethical quandary of regulating the extent and intensity of sexual appeal in advertising, multiple measures must be implemented.
Many external parties have attempted to attack the solution, however, I would like to propose three solutions of my own:
1) The government should implement more specific regulations for advertisements in order to moderate the intensity of sexually explicit ads. These regulations should require that an ad’s purpose is to creatively sell a product within a specific category. It is not only the responsibility of governments to regulate content, but brand owners should also improve their ability to self-police.
2) Nations should consider the impact of global marketing and acknowledge that due to globalization, the world is becoming a unified platform where ideas are shared across cultures. When creating ads, agencies should be mindful of the norms and cultures of other countries and respect sensitive issues that may offend a country with different ethics and values. Furthermore, agencies can enhance their research on the product and target consumers to better understand the values upheld in other nations.
The greater emphasis on researching the brand enables marketers to identify the most effective appeal to use in advertisements. By conducting thorough research, advertisers can find alternative methods to persuade and promote their product instead of relying on sexual allure. This approach fosters more meaningful connections between consumers and brands compared to merely tantalizing consumers with suggestive visuals. Additionally, parents should acknowledge their responsibility as protectors of the content their children encounter. Regulation should not be solely imposed by external entities such as the government and brand owners; it should also originate from within households.
Teenagers commonly watch adult-oriented programs, which exposes them frequently to suggestive advertising messages. Responsible and caring parents should offer alternative activities that do not involve inappropriate content to ensure the safety and well-being of their children. In today’s society, both parents and television networks must be vigilant in preventing unsuitable content from being broadcasted, regardless of the viewer’s age. The notable incident at the Super Bowl where Janet Jackson experienced a “wardrobe malfunction” serves as a prominent illustration of how media companies now exercise caution. Encouraging open communication about the true intentions behind advertisements is another valuable solution.
The sooner a child comprehends the worthless and excessive nature of a captivating advertisement, the earlier they will be able to make proper ethical choices in the future. Despite the widespread negative view of advertising and the current high level of sexual content in the media, advertising companies claim that they do not impose cultural and societal values, but merely mirror the existing values. Teenagers who watch channels such as Nickelodeon and MTV are exposed to ideas that challenge ethical values as much as any provocative advertisement does.
Advertisers supporting “cultural reflection” is deemed ethically acceptable. Several brand owners, including Abercrombie and Fitch, have imposed age restrictions in response to consumer rights organizations’ complaints. Abercrombie and Fitch is renowned for its trendy clothing with a provocative allure that attracts young customers. These customers can even subscribe to a youth-oriented “magalog,” which features headlines like “sex has nothing to do with sin” and “a friend is someone I can betray with love”. To purchase items from Abercrombie and Fitch, there is a minimum age requirement due to the nature of their products. Although advertising agencies bear primary ethical responsibility for their campaigns, the final decision on adhering to ethical guidelines lies with the client. The agency should act as a guiding force, similar to an older sibling, assisting the client in practicing responsible and ethical behavior while evaluating whether the client’s work excessively appeals or if it’s appropriate, thus helping them avoid negative publicity.
The importance of promoting ethical behavior in business should not be underestimated. It is crucial to establish a strong foundation of good practices to effectively handle challenging ethical situations in the future. By creating a clear distinction between ethical and unethical practices, decision-making in advertising will become more straightforward. Ultimately, it is evident that sexual appeals will persist in advertising over time.
Excessive exposure to sexual content can result in a desensitized generation perceiving it as “ordinary,” yet exploiting the human body, which is divine in nature, is far from ordinary. This trend will have further detrimental effects on teenagers and their relationships with their parents. Public perception of the advertising industry will continue to decline as the target audience becomes increasingly younger and more vulnerable. Companies are continuously finding innovative ways to reach them through online games, websites, and cell phones.
The consequences of not practicing ethics in the advertising industry should be a major concern, especially if agencies neglect to strive for the common good of all nations.
SOURCES:
Abercrombie & Fitch Advertisement (n. d.). Retrieved March 16, 2004, from Abercrombie & Fitch Website: www. abercrombie.com.
AXE Nun (2004). Collections: AXE Effect.
May Abd El Latif El Hattab, “The effect of sex appeal and emotional appeal on adolescents” German University in Cairo, June 4th 2008.
La Tour, M. & Henthorne, T. (1994, September).
The article “Ethical judgments of sexual appeals in print advertising” [Electronic version] was published in the Journal of Advertising, volume 23, issue 3, pages 87-91. This research is conducted by Susan Linn, who authored the book “Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Children” in 2004. Another relevant book on this topic is “Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel” by Jean Kilbourne, published by Touchstone in 1999. Peter Zollo’s book “Getting Wiser to Teens: More Insights into Marketing to Teenagers” was published in 2004 by New Strategist Publications, and offers additional insights. James U. McNeal also provides valuable insights on children as consumers in his book “Children as Consumers: Insights and Implications,” published in 1987.
