That old chestnut: does sex actually sell?

I’m guessing you’ll all have seen or heard about Reebok’s latest outdoor campaign promoting their Easytone trainers by now.

A new product launch in itself doesn’t usually garner such extensive press coverage or buzz online, but the fact that brand ambassador Kelly Brook was naked (but for said pair of trainers) may have had an impact…

It seems that yet again, the ad world has returned to the assumption that ‘sex sells’.

Brook’s repose in the Reebok ad is reminiscent of the controversial campaign for Yves Saint Laurent Opium in 2000 featuring a naked Sophie Dahl. The campaign, which saw Dahl wearing nothing but a pearl choker and gold stilettos to promote the designer’s perfume, accounted for one in three complaints about billboard advertising in that year, making it one of the most complained about in the ASA’s history.

Around that time the ‘sexual sell’ in advertising had increased in prominence, not just in adverts for the likes of YSL’s Opium and Paris fragrances, but also in campaigns for fashion labels French Connection, Patrick Cox and Calvin Klein.

There was lots of talk at the time around the changing nature of advertising, often questioning whether advertising techniques had started evolving faster than ethics, and a great deal of research was carried out.

Some of the discoveries made included:

- Young consumers view ‘sexual advertising’ as ironic and playful, and take it in their stride.

- Consumers in general prefer subtle sexual sell ads, as opposed to blatant ‘overt’ sexuality in advertising, which is seen as assuming a lack of intelligence in consumers.

- The general view of sexual advertising is a negative one – consumers have seen it all before.

Although the research was carried out 8/9 years ago now, much of it remains true for brands today.

There can still be practical problems inherent in using sex to sell: distracting target consumers from the brand’s real message or value, and offending other consumers. Shock value can have an immediate impact, but the advertiser needs to ensure their product or brand is still seen to offer something of genuine value.

It would be interesting to take the research a step further and see what changes/effects the digital era may have had on consumer perceptions.

Has the glut of online sexual imagery led consumers to become desensitised to such advertising, therefore challenging the advertising industry to be even more creative to ensure effective cut-through for their campaigns?

Only time will tell whether the Reebok adverts will create the same stir as the Yves Saint Laurent Opium advert did in 2000. However, as Wonderbra announce the appointment of a new advertising agency to recapture the glory days of their “hello boys” campaign, all the research and commentary on consumers’ perceptions and buying habits may fall by the wayside. When that campaign ran, Wonderbra witnessed an unprecedented surge in sales ensuring the brand became a household name and even causing car crashes on its release.

If Reebok Easytone sales increase to that extent, it might be worth the risk. Only the sales figures will tell.

Image one courtesy of Reebok. Image two courtesy of http://www.handbag.com/fashion/top-10-iconic-ad-advertising-campaigns-sophie-dahl-ysl-opium-perfume/gallery.