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Even if you know almost nothing about the advertising industry, you've heard the saying that "sex sells" — and you know exactly what it means. Sexualized images (usually of women) are regularly used to promote everything from cars to perfume, and according to a 2012 study, they're actually becoming more common. While 15 percent of ads features sexualized images in 1983, the number jumped to 27 percent in 2003. However, new research has revealed that sexy advertising doesn't necessarily mean bigger profits.
A research group led by Dr. John Wirtz, head of the advertising faculty at the Center for Media at the University of Illinois, recently published an analysis of studies examining how consumers react to sexy ads, and the results were particularly notable: while male consumers had a more positive reaction to sexualized ads than female consumers, when it came to "purchase intention" — whether a consumer was interested in buying a specific product — the researchers found that the sexy ads had "no effect" on either group. As Wirtz said in a press release, "We found literally zero effect on participants' intention to buy products in ads with a sexual appeal. This assumption that sex sells — well, no, according to our study, it doesn't. There's no indication that there's a positive effect."
You might be surprised to hear this, given how common sexualized ads are and the huge impact they have on our culture. Media specialist Dr Mehita Iqani has argued that the bodies we see in ads "shape and inform...the types of sexuality and sexiness that are permissible in, and valued by, the...system." For decades, sexualized ads have helped set cultural standards about sexual attractiveness — and have been criticized for promoting a specific concept of female beauty (straight, white, cis, straight size), which can have a negative impact on women's body images.
But while they wield vast social power, sexualized ads have less financial impact than we might think — especially because women drive around 80 percent of consumer purchases, while most sexualized ads are aimed at heterosexual men.
So if sexy ads don't necessarily sell products — and they can influence us in distinctly negative ways — why are they still so popular?
Why Sex Doesn't Actually Sell
Considering what a charged and complex relationship the American public has with sexy ads, you'd think they'd at least do a great job at making consumers buy things. But in reality, their influence isn't so major.
One reason is that sexualized ads almost exclusively target a very specific demographic: heterosexual men. Wirtz's study found that men in general felt positively towards the sexualized ads, while women tended to view them more negatively; past research has indicated that heterosexual men responded positively to advertising that featured highly erotically charged images of couples, while heterosexual women tended to respond more positively to more mildly erotic images. Considering that women drive around 80 percent of consumer purchases, ads that specifically court men in a way that many women find unappealing won't necessarily drive sales in a big way.
But even among heterosexual men, sexy ads don't always accomplish what they're supposed to. Researchers in 2015 examined 53 different studies and found that men were actually less likely to be able to remember the specific brand being advertised in a sexy advertisement.
And, of course, even when men enjoyed the sexualized ads, they didn't necessarily decide to buy the things advertised in them.
So If Sex Doesn't Sell Products, Why Do Companies Keep Making Sexy Ads?
While we may assume that sexualized ads don't work if they don't directly influence someone to make a purchase, experts tell us it's actually a more complicated situation.
Dr. Melissa Burnett, professor of marketing at Missouri State University, notes that whether an ad contains sexualized images or not is far from the only reason an ad might be succeeding or failing. "In many cases, the use of a sexual appeal could simply not be appropriate [for the product being sold]," Dr. Burnett tells Bustle. "However, even in situations that would suggest a sexual appeal would be an effective strategy, the message may not be on target, poorly concepted or executed, or delivered at the wrong time or place."
Beth Egan, Associate Professor at Communications@Syracuse, Syracuse University's online masters in communications program, tells Bustle, "The fact that there is no effect on purchase intent does not necessarily make it an ineffective ad." Ads don't only aim to immediately drive you to buy something — they also might have a goal of just making you aware of a product or influencing your thinking in other ways. "So if the goal of the campaign is about consideration, the fact that the ad didn’t actually move purchase wouldn’t equal failure," notes Egan. "Even the authors suggest that they haven’t answered the question as to whether or not sex sells, but merely pointed out the complexity of effects."
Egan also points out that "males evaluate these ads more positively. That is who they are targeted to and likely written by," and so appealing to only them isn't necessarily considered a problem by advertisers. "There is a whole body of research that proves advertising is more effective at reinforcing current behaviors vs. encouraging new ones. Therefore, if you’re a brand popular among males and they’re seeing your ad for a product they use and are reacting positively to it, then you could be meeting your campaign goals."
In his press release, Wirtz pointed to Carl's Jr.'s recent decision to end their series of highly sexualized ads as proof that companies were realizing sexualized ads don't yield the results they want. “If the ‘sexy ads’ had been effective, it’s unlikely the company or ad agency would have made such a drastic change,” he said. There's no way to know if this is true, if this study will change advertising in America, or if sexualized ads are already changing to better reflect our social mores, as they have so many times in US history. The only thing the study can truly show us right now is, if sexualized ads leave you unmoved, you're far from the only one.