DOES SEX STILL SELL?
Calvin Klein kicked off the year with some pretty steamy ads to help them sell undies. One featured Hollywood’s latest sixpack obsession, Jeremy Allen White, parading through New York in his Calvins. Another, with FKA twigs, was instantly cancelled by the fun police.
Click the pic to see the ad. The soundtrack makes this much more than a hot guy in his undies.
These obvious double-standards pumped the earned media by millions, but that debate is raging all over the internet. So we got to thinking big picture.
In this post #MeToo world, we’re quick to call out the questionable. But there’s more appetite than ever for sexual empowerment. So where does that leave ad-land with these kinds of ads?
Does sex still sell in 2024?
Yes sex still sells
Especially for men. There’s stacks of research proving that ads using sex to sell stuff can grab our attention and stick in our memories. And it’s no surprise that men are more likely to notice them.
But that’s not the whole story. Long-term studies also show that sexualised material can distract its audience. Sure, we notice, but the audience doesn’t always remember the product being sold. So your sex might make a splash. But does it make the cash register ring?
Women like sex too
While the research shows that women are less likely to respond to sex in advertising, it doesn’t mean they’re immune to a little eye candy. Jeremy blew up the internet in his Calvins. One Instagram comment, “Yes Chef” got thousands of likes in days. We couldn’t help but agree.
And it’s good to appeal to women. Neilsen reckon women will account for 75% of discretionary spending by 2028. Which adds up. Women buy stuff for women. But they also buy a lot of stuff that’s aimed at men. Old Spice caught on to this ages ago with their hunk on a horseback. Because he’s ‘the man your man could smell like’.
Click the pic to see the ad. The humour that made this viral. The hunk on the horseback didn’t hurt.
Bad sex is bad news
We know this for sure. Sex is more meaningful when it means something. Get it right and you make a connection, get it wrong and you’re cancelled - much like the real world. That’s why clumsy, porn-adjacent ads like the ‘BK Girls’ are largely relegated to history.
Click the pic to see the ad. It was aiming for pastiche but got stuck on the ‘spicy’ pun. Banned in NZ.
Just like in the real world, it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it… and why you do it and who you do it with. Sure, we live in a you-do-you world where body positivity and sensuality are celebrated. But people being asked to swallow stuff to spike sales is awkward and often offensive - bad sex sucks.
Good sex still sells
So we know sex grabs attention. But with more scrutiny than ever in the court of social media, how can brands ever get it right? The first question to ask is why are you doing it in the first place?
That’s what Gucci must have done. Their 2022 fragrance campaign, ‘Guilty’ featured Julia Garner, ASAP Rocky and trans actor Eliot Page as a throuple. It was suggestive, progressive and never seen before. Empowerment over objectification. The campaign was praised for its liberating representation. The cash registers loved it.
Click the pic to see the ad. It all looks pretty innocent. But the title is ‘Guilty’.
Humour sells harder than sex
In summary, if you mix big brands, with the right story, for the right audience, you can take it all the way to the bedroom. But suggestion is smarter than sleaze. It’s the tease that raises the heart rate.
Sensuality is hot. Awkward is not. And it’s all in the way you tell your story.
Meanwhile humour is still way safer than a threesome. Just weeks after Jeremy took us on his tour of New York, German beer brand BRLO followed suit. Shot for shot – with different talent. The internet loved that one too. Sure it uses sex to sell, but it does it with style and a smile. So we’re confident they’ll sell a whole lot of beer.
Click the pic to see the ad. If you liked Jeremy, you’ll love this. Boys for the girls, beer for the boys.