Does Sex Sell?

Sex, usually yes.

I've seen that commercial, and it's just digusting. Doesn't even turn you on, makes you think 'aw crap that's gross'.

But that commercial was very blatant, nothing subtle about it.

Sex does sell -- but how that guy/ad agency did it was just plain distasteful, and if anything, will probably turn a lot of people off...

The same way that stupid commercial where the guy is chocolate and get's eaten by other people... just creepy.

But, I think their goal is to be 'talked' about, if anything, no matter how wierd/creepy it is.

One question. Did you like GoDaddy's SuperBowl commercials with Candice Michelle?? I LOVED THEM...

I would say from a marketing point of view, sex (and sex appeal for that matter) do have a high influence on your bottom line. Every opportunity website which I visit has a phot of a good-looking woman who is supposed to be the live operator who can answer questions (especially as you navigate away from the page). Short answer, definately, yes.

Does sex sell? Maybe.

Does it sell to me? Not always. It all depends on context. If you're trying to sell me something "serious" (investing, insurance, business-related goods and services) then trying to be funny or sexy doesn't work for me.

Now, if you're talking about a burger, then I'm more likely to respond to a good looking face (as opposed to what the actual customers usually look like at burger joints; myself included). However, I am also a family man and father, and while I didn't see any of the above mentioned ads, you can bet I wouldn't be taking my family to any place that uses sex to sell.

Am I a prude? Not at all, but there is a time and place for things and sex and sex apeal needs to be done right to be effective.

Also, come on guys! Stop drooling, get the hormones in check, and try to make some rational decisions.

All the best,
Michael

I loved that Video... It made me laugh.. Which I only do once per month. . .

Sex sure gets people going though.. HOOTERS have based their fortunes on it. . . (I have never been there.) (I don't want to become.. Well.. You know... While I eat. . .

Regards
Andrew

In my opinion it does sell. And so does fear and greed.

Just take a look at the front of any newspaper and you'll see one of these three categories in most of the stories.

Certainly does just open any magazine, newspaper, watch TV, listen to the radio , see a billboard on a freeway ( a dangerous place really to advertise) , check out the side of a bus and you will no doubt see, hear or read something related there many times a day . Advertisers using this way of advertising must be confident that it does work .
The mentioned subject is not going to go out of fashion any time soon !!

As someone mentioned above: There's a difference between using sex to sell and using sex appeal.

They are not the same thing, let's not get them confused.

~Michael

Nope. Nosirreee. Everyone hates sex. Use it at your peril.

yes! it sells and sells much faster than any other commodity. Now even body deo's , jeans, clothes ads are being too much overrated

Does sex sell? Absolutely. Or they wouldn't use it.

Is there an effect on society (and our kids)? Absolutely. And I worry that the almighty dollar trumps this responsibility with most.

Of course. Who doesnt need sex hehe

Sex sells when you are selling sex. If you tell a horny guy that he can get laid by going to your fav dating site because it is (fill in blank) then his desire to get laid and believe you will overcome his intellectual skepticism and you will make a nice affiliate commission.

Well, integrating element of sex in commercial definitely makes it more interesting and memorable if done right..

You know what? Sex doesn't always sell, in fact, I would say it is WAY overrated when it comes to advertising!

You know what really works? A catchy jingle, a snappy catch phrase and a memorable tagline.

"Where's the beef?" is a good example. Wendy's experienced a huge surge in sales after that ad campaign.

GoDaddy uses breasts, why? We are in IM so we may remember that. But most people will just remember the cleavage, and not the company itself.

The following didn't rely on sex to sell...

"It's the real thing"
"I'd walk a mile for a Camel"
"Less filling! Tastes great!"

And the list goes on and on.

It's obvious some of the responders here are just looking for an excuse to talk about sex - yes, it's that obvious.

In regards to advertising, it's a tool that's used. But that doesn't mean it's the only one, or even the best one. It's a kind of shortcut that says, "hey we couldn't come up with anything original, so we got boobies!"

All the best,
Michael

Sex sells products has been for hundreds of years will never change, thats part of life

Not only does sex sell, but anything that appeals to our emotions sells.

In spite of what a lot of marketers think, people don't buy things because
they need them.

They buy them because they want them.

I just bought a new DVD player, not because my old one broke. If I didn't
care about watching all my favorite DVDs, I would have just said the heck
with it. I bought a new one because I couldn't stand the thought of not
being able to see my tons of favorite shows.

In this case, the emotion is personal enjoyment of my leisure time.

I just bought a whole new recording studio because I love music and
wanted to have the best equipment so that I can make the kind of music
with the kind of sound that I could be proud to play for others.

In this case, the emotion is pride...plain and simple.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Even eating, as much as we need to eat to survive, we still buy foods that
we enjoy eating. We're tired of our mother's shoving lima beans down
our throats. Now that we're on our own, it's pizza, hot dogs and
hamburgers because those foods make us feel good because they taste
good. We enjoy eating them.

Show me a product that appeals to some emotion, and I'll show you a
successful product.

That's not to say that you can't sell necessities, because we can.

But it's a lot easier to sell that smile on the face.

And what makes you smile more than sex?

Well, maybe a good lobster dinner.

If it's noticeable and memorable (good or bad), it will sell.