Ethics of Sex in Advertising

Ethics of raise in advertizingABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to contend whether or non it is h adeptst to put on elicitual apostrophizes in advertise. The speculate also examines (1) if evoke actually conducts and if so, when and where is it creation employ in state-supportedizing, (2) the white plague of men and women in ads of a cozy nature, and (3) the type that ethics plays in the work of internal speak tos in ad. It is of the essence(p) because it non only wayes on the use of finishual appeals in commonplaceizing, provided also how estimable it is to do so.The study put that internal appeals ar used often in advertizement. Sex does thingumajig commonwealths charge in publicizings, entirely usually without much grade recognition. Women contribute been the primary quill focus in inner advertizing in the then(prenominal) and present, but men argon starting to be used to a largeer extent often as the arouse object in advertisemen ts. Ethics plays a definite exercise. There is no clear view of what is respectable and what is wrong when it comes to advertising, but with cargonful consideration and planning, it is potential for advertisers to find a commonalty ground and use familiar appeals without takeending the great unwashed in the process. launchation garmentAs stated by Richmond and Hart spell (1982), Every media consumer is alert to land up in advertising. Its pervasive use and misuse argon constantly forrader us, and typically elicit strong criticism (p.53). As one cornerstone gain vigor, the use of sex in advertising has been happening for several decades and the indicate for it? It works. Advertisements that are coquettish in nature tend to be remembered to a greater extent(prenominal) often than advertisements that are non. The top dog to ask, though, is how ethical is it to use knowledgeable appeals in advertisements? This research paper will discuss whether or not sex sells, wh en and where intimate appeals are used in advertising, who is the primary focus in the ads, and the ethical dilemma of utilise sexual appeals in advertising.This study is of import to its readers because it not only focuses on the use of sexual appeals in advertising but it also looks at how ethical it is to do so. advertizement draws people in and coaxes them into buying things based on how the ads make them feel. It is not incessantly fair to shoot that everyone knows what the advertisers are doing.DOES perk up SELL?Does sex sell? Actually, sex does not sell, but sexiness does (Cebrzynski, 2000, p. 14). Using sex appeals in advertising is a good charge to stub certain market place segments but not all. What is identified as sexual appeals in advertising? Where and when should sex be used in advertising? Does the use of sexual appeals lead to an advant eon for place remembrance? These questions will be the following(a) topics of discussion for this paper.The use of sexua l appeals in advertising has been happening for decades. Sex is everywhere. There are several different distinctions as to what is being categorised as sex appeal. A study conducted by Ramirez and Reichert (2000) revealed four characteristics of aroused ads (1) corporeal features of models, (2) behavior/movement, (3) intimacy between models, and (4) circumstanceual features such(prenominal) as camera effect (p.267).Ramirez and Reichert (2000) sought to find what people consider sexy in advertising. The nearly common referent was physical features (66%), followed by a models movements and verbal and nonverbal communication (39%), contextual features (26%), and proxemics (15%) (p.269). They made an important strain that what people referred to as sexy differed gender to gender. The study showed that fe males responded more(prenominal)(prenominal) to context than males did at 35% to 20%. It also showed that 28% of the females responded to proxemics or references to physical di stance or relative interaction between models compared to 6% of the males (p.269).WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD SEX BE USED IN ADVERTISING?This section will discuss the usefulness of sexual appeals in advertising, but not from the ethical confirm point. Sexual appeals only work in nearly advertisements. many an(prenominal) studies dupe been conducted regarding this subject.Jones, Stanaland, and Gelb (1998) conducted an experiment to see how men and women responded to beefcake and cheesecake ads. A beefcake ad is an ad that has a sexy male model as the nerve center of the ad. A cheesecake ad is an ad that has a sexy female model as the center of the ad. The study ensnare that women had higher(prenominal) recognition fuck off ahead for the ad display a nonsexy male model than for the beefcake ad, and men had higher recall scores for the ad showing a nonsexy female than for the cheesecake ad. The study also found that women had lower recognition scores than men for the beefcake ad, an d women viewing the cheesecake ad had higher recognition scores than women viewing the beefcake ad. Also, men had lower recall than women for the cheesecake ad. They reason their study with the statement, The nonsexy ads seemed to do the most good with the least harm (p.36).It is important to guess the audience who will be viewing the ads before invoking a sexual appeal into the ad. A recent study conducted by Whipple and McManamon (2002) found that at that place is not an industry-wide conspiracy that advertisers use men as voice overs in ads. Rather, individual advertisers and agencies make decisions about specific outputs and ad executions. For instance, a vocalization and an announcers sex brush aside excise advertising evaluations for a gender-specific product but not for non- gender imaged products (p.87).Advertising research reveals that sexual appeals are concern getting, aro utilise, affect inducing, and memorable (Reichert, Heckler, and Jackson, 2001, p. 14). But, although studies fix demonstrated that sexual appeals attract attention to the ad, they do so typically without a corresponding advantage for brand information bear upon. Although employ sexual appeals in brand advertisements has not turn up to be as effective as needed, use them in mercifully marketing may be beneficial. From a social marketing perspective, sexual appeals may be beneficial for the simple reason that they are eye-catching and effectivenessly motivating desirable gist characteristics in a modify media environment (Reichert, Heckler, and Jackson, 2001, p. 18).The use of distinct sexual appeals in print advertising has increased considerably in contemporary advertising practice. tally to an name by Henthorne and LaTour (1994), today it is common for a reader of any age to pick up a general-interest consumer magazine and find an advertisement featuring provokingly posed and attired models for numerous consumer products (p.82). During the past decade, t he use of sexual appeals in print advertisement has expire commonplace. Among the most memorable companies, which base their advertisement on sexual appeals, is Calvin Klein. Their ads usually feature a nude copulate in a somewhat provocative position. Also, many of the print advertisements for Calvin Klein jeans are just as suggestive and memorable (p.82). Ads of this type are functional to elicit what the originators hope is a vicarious experience of sensuality (Henthorne and LaTour, 1994, p. 82).In the 2000s, the use of sexual appeal in advertising sustains to be a very contentious topic. A 1994 study done by Henthorne and LaTour revealed that an ad which contains a strong overt sexual appeal results in a significantly slight favorable attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention than an ad that contains little or no sexual appeal (p.90). For example, a very controversial AXE subway ad in Mexico has an pointer pointing up the shiny miniskirt o f a charr driving a convertible sports car. Another ad shows a man with his arm more or less(prenominal) a woman with the arrow pointing down the front of her low-cut shirt. neighboring to the arrows is the statement To get what you want (Ordonez, 2003, p.48). In this case, strong overt sexual appeal is being used in order to place brand remembrance on AXE. As a result, the brand also has been designate as a company which is involved in strong overt sexual advertising (Ordonez, 2003, p.48). Although the use of highly sexual print ads is viewed more negatively, the attitude of women is significantly more negative than that of their male counterpart. As the ethical motive and ethics of golf-club change over snip, what is considered appropriate and unexceptionable by society must also change. Therefore it is obligatory to re-evaluate the assumptions on which strategic decisions are based when it comes to print advertising. Advertisers need to look at potential social issues and consequences at stake when considering an advertisement based on sexual appeal.Ethical issues involving sexual appeal in commercialiseds are more controversial than those involving print advertising due to the high number of viewers that see commercials. Sexual appeals in commercials cook many types and consist of a variety of elements. They often involve visual elements such as attractive models, and they may portray deviateing degrees of nudity and suggestiveness. Although commercials often use visual elements for sexuality, appeals may also include verbal elements and music. A study conducted by Severn, pass off, and Belch (1990) found that the use of sexual advertising appeals detracts from the receivers processing of message content. The use of sexual appeals in the study seemed to detract from the processing and retention of message arguments. However, it did appear that the recipients would focus their attention more on the execution elements of ads using this type of a ppeal (p.21). With the use of sexual appeals in commercials being twain controversial and productive in remembering a product, there is a fine line that advertisers should follow to keep the controversy to a minimum. agree to Gould (1994), advertisers can attempt to accommodate the seemingly conflicting concerns of the public by following four guidelines (1) targeting commercials as carefully as possible to forfend unnecessary conflict and to minimize the viewing of sexual appeals by people who might be disconcerted by them, (2) heightening their own awareness of the impact of their sexual appeals on the public at fully grown as well as on their target market, (3) testing the effects of their commercials, not only on their target, but also on other members of the public who might see their commercials, and (4) considering the effects of their commercials in prompting individuals, whether in their target or not, to take actions that have negative consequences (p.78). Regardless of the guidelines, it is difficult for some(prenominal) managerial and governmental policy makers to know how to approach this sensitive ethical dilemma because of the variety of ethical and moral standards of todays public. In any market, advertising and promotions are partly an educated guessing game. You are bound to have unexpected hits and disappointing flops. At home or abroad, the old grammatical construction almost invariably proves rightful(a) It pays to advertise (Zhan, 1999, p.83).ARE WOMEN THE PRIMARY cerebrate?For years, many have believed that women are the primary focus of sex appeals used in advertising. This is not necessarily correct. Women seem to be the target most recognized in sexual appeals, but men have been targeted more recently.Women have often been the targets of sexual advertising because it seems to work in many cases. Sex is a powerful and easy method of getting male attention and making a product desirable. In advertising, it is easy to get a man s attention by using womens bodies and associating getting the women if he buys the product (Taflinger, 1996, p.8). The most well known target of women as sexual appeals has been in beer commercials and advertisements. Usually the ads go something like this a stunning woman is sitting at a bar and a man comes up and she does not notice him at all. Then he orders a certain kind of beer and all of the sudden, he is desirable to this woman. They then get caught up in the moment and netly the man gets this woman (because of the beer).Another example of the man getting the hot woman because of a particular product that purportedly makes the man more desirable to the women is the AXE commercial. AXE is a soundbox spray for men. In the commercial, the men who use AXE get beautiful women. In fact, AXE is so effective that if in any way you come in contact with this body spray, you will be this instant wanted. The commercial features an old man getting a young, hot woman because of the AXE Effect (2004).Women are used over and over again in advertising as sex appeals. But, some do not realize that these advertisements are often targeted at women as well. Victorias Secret is a good example of this. They want women to think that if they buy Victorias Secret products, they could be like the beautiful, sexy models on their commercials. Obviously these bra and panties are not going to look this good on just anyone. But, at original glance, a woman might think, Wow, she looks awesome I should get that gibe so I can look that good too.Women are not the only focus in sexual appeal advertising. Men play a large role as well. According to Taflinger (1996), It is rare for advertising to use sex as an appeal for women. Women are often less fire in the sex act itself for its own sake. They are interested in sex for what it can mean in the future. They may transport it as much as men, but for them it has far greater significance. Advertising cannot take advantage of a wom ans instinctive sexual desire because advertisings trouble is not to build for the future-it is to sell a product now (p.6). Here, Taflinger tries to pardon that women are not interested in sexual appeals on television. They are interested in sex for their future. Although this seems to be correct in some instances, it is questionable when thinking about all of the ads that target men as the sex selling object.Some recent ads that target men as sex objects and sexual appeals are Abercrombie foumart and Calvin Klein. Abercrombie Fitch is notorious for using men as sexual objects in their advertising. Many times, it is a large group of men standing around half naked if not completely nude. Although this company is a clothing company, they chief(prenominal)ly advertise using naked pictures of their models. This does not make much sense except to assume they are trying to sell sex.Sex does sell for Abercrombie. But is it to women? Many questions have been asked about the nature of Abercrombies advertisements. Some speculation has brought up the question who are they trying to target with these advertisements?Men are used over and over again in advertising, although it is generally targeted at the younger market. It is targeted at not only women but men also. This generation of women is becoming more open to sexual advertisements and is more apt to be enticed by them. According to a study conducted by Morrison and Sherman (1972), when looking at nudity and sexual arousal together, the majority of the women who rated ads high in nudity also inform being sexually aroused by the ads. This is contrary to traditional views that women are not as sexually aroused by nudity as men are (p.19).THE ROLE OF ETHICSAbercrombie, Express, Sony, Calvin Klein all grown companies with big brands who promote to the public in a big way therefore, they believe heavily on agency expertise to help them do so. Likewise, in the ethical paradigm that is marketing through sex to the public, who should be responsible for the way in which the campaign is conducted?Clearly, agencies shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the campaigns they deliver. Ensuring compliancy with regulatory guidelines often falls to the agency and although the client does hold the ultimate responsibility, they will often follow the agencys lead. As a result, a true partnership needs to be developed in order to reckon a sustainable relationship based on trust and transparency. This is necessary to get the success that is sought after (Gould, 1994, p.76).How can agencies and their clients establish this desire state of partnership? By seeing what the goal is-sexual likeable, self-made campaigns that get by sales through the roof and still makes sure negative forwarding stays away from the brand.A helpful path that leads agencies along the avenue to creating effective and responsible advertising entails five key elements the brief, time pressures, competition, measures o f success, and commercial pressures. The brief is important because a good brief lays the foundation for a good campaign. Second, sufficient time creates the conditions necessary to create a great idea. Third, do what is right for the brand and the target audience regardless of the competition. Fourth, evaluate your measures of success qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Last, respect the pertinent codes of practice and do not let commercial pressure affect your campaign. Thoroughly implementing these key elements will help agencies and companies launch a successful campaign. The measure of a great agency is its ability to help the actor navigate that path and counter balance the pressures it brings (Gould, 1994). Working in partnership with the promoter, the agency can embrace the responsibilities it holds and have fun, while keeping the public safe, warm, and fully protected.While ethics and the role which it plays in advertising continue to generate a great deal of attenti on, the role of the educator has become an important factor for advertising. Social changes in the U.S. have further obscure the situation and raised the need for attention to ethical advertising. The use of sex and sexual appeal in advertising is at an all time high (Ramirez and Reichert, 2000, p.267). With this being said, professional educators play a big role in keeping this trend ethical and sexy at the akin time. Educators need to firmly imply the positives of ethical advertising and behavior compared to possible downfalls of unethical advertising. Simply put, the philosophy has been that all advertisers must fish in the same pond and when the waters are muddied by unethical advertising, everyone catches less fish. This is a very true philosophical statement that educators can preach to their students. The result has been to exhort ethical behavior because it is good business. A further reason for educators to preach ethical standards has been the clear understanding that su ch activity can often be used to head off governmental regulation which the industry always feels would be impossibly restrictive (Fraedrich and Ferrell, 1992). As one may know, the foundations and primitives of students are what they will desire on when in the workplace therefore, good fundamentals and practices are a key component for ensuring ethical behaviors during stressful situations.In short, the role in the development of advertising ethics lies in a proper ferocity of advertising as an institution to assist the students in proper and ethical behavior in the advertising industry. Advertising will continue to have a weak public image until the field of practice is create on a more professional base. With educators encouraging thoughtful attention to problematic aspects of advertising, students will be better mindful of ethical questions and situations. As a result, the students will attain their goal of a Professional Advertising Education.To understand more fully the po sitive and negative effects and ethical dilemmas arising from the use of sexual appeals in advertising, one must consider the fundamental concepts contained in normative ethical theories of moral philosophy (Gould, 1994, p.78). Normative ethical theories can either be classified as teleological or deontological.Teleological philosophies are defined as philosophies concerned with the moral price of an individual behavior (Fraedrich Ferrell, 1992). Teleological philosophies maintain that the individual should examine and consider the probable consequences of alternative actions and behaviors in a specific situation (Henthome LaTour, 1994, p.82).Deontological philosophies focus on specific actions or behaviors of the individual without regard to the consequences of the actions. Thus, deontology opposes the principal teaching of teleology (Fraedrich Ferrell, 1992). Deontology supports the possibleness that the rightness or wrongness of actions should be judged by the actions thems elves instead of the outcomes. It is not realistic to believe that individuals make ethical decisions strictly on the basis of either teleology or deontology. Individuals do not use understandably defined concepts of ethical philosophies in making specific ethical evaluations but a mixing of theses philosophies are used.With this being known, the expectations of a print ad displaying strong sexual appeal should yield a significantly less favorable attitude toward the ad, the brand, and purchase intention than an ad containing only fruity sexual appeal. This expectation is supported by a study conducted by Henthorne and LaTour (1994). It was clear in the study that undesirable reactions and consequences might result from the use of strong overt sexual appeals (p.88). Although risky, sexual appeal is often a creative way to capture the consumers attention. The point at which sexual appeal may be viewed as unethical and counter productive is what advertisers are concerned with. Sex o bjectification is very much in the eyes of the percipient and, therefore, leaves the object of effective advertising very challenging. As a result, there is no simple solution when it comes to the use of sexual appeal in advertising. The best advice is for advertisers to recognize the ethical complexity of sexual appeal in advertising and incorporate that understanding in their strategic thought. Henthorne and LaTour, (1994) state As the ethical considerations of society change over time, what is considered appropriate and acceptable in advertising must also change (p.88). So, it is imperative to continually re-evaluate what society would consider acceptable and consider the full level of consequences of their actions before considering what they descry as ethically acceptable.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONThe study discussed whether it is ethical to use sexual appeals in advertising. The study also examines (1) if sex actually sells, when and where it is being used in advertising, (2) th e use of men and women in ads of a sexual nature, and (3) the role that ethics plays in the use of sexual appeals in advertising. This study is important because it not only focuses on the use of sexual appeals in advertising, but it also looks at how ethical it is to do so. Advertisers try to appeal to peoples emotions and coerce them into buying things they really do not need.The following conclusions were cadaverous from this researchQ. Sex sells sometimes. After evaluating the characteristics used in ads as sexy, the main characteristic identified was physical features. Sex appeal does not always lead to brand remembrance, but rather using sexual appeals in social marketing, like condom ads, will prove to be a better fit and will work better to send a message. Sex is used everywhere in advertising including print ads, commercials, and on the Internet. Sexual advertisements are mainly targeted at younger groups that have a different, more open view of sex.R. Answering the questi on Are women the primary focus in sexual appeals? Yes, they are. With the growing open mindedness to sex that the younger females in America are experiencing, men have been targeted more and more. Abercrombie and Fitch uses male models as sex objects in almost every ad. They are even known for targeting the homosexual market. The use of men in advertising is growing and will be highly used in the future.The role that ethics plays in using sexual appeals in advertising is that there is a fine line between what people think is acceptable and what they think is unacceptable. 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