ELK ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT-SPECIAL ISSUE ISSN 0976-7193 (Print) ISSN 2349-2317 (Online); DOI: 10.16962/EAPJMRM/ISSN.2349-2317/2014 4th International Marketing Conference Reimagining Marketing – Confluence of Creativity and Technology IBS- Mumbai EFFECTS OF SEXUAL APPEAL IN ADVERTISING Co-authors: Ms. Lakshmi Priya S, Ms. Saikusum Dr. Fezeena Khadir Guttina, Ms. Sanyukta Basak & Ms. Sujaya M.S, Dept. of Fashion Management Studies, National Institute Students, Dept. of Fashion Management Studies, of Fashion Technology, Kannur National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kannur Abstract This study aims to investigate the effect of using sexual content in advertisements. Different factors are being analyzed with respect to sexual appeal in advertising, which include perception, positive and negative effects and marketing effectiveness. As marketers consider these types of advertisements can be effective, it is necessary to understand the way sexual content in advertisements are being processed by the consumers. The study progressed with a purposive sampling comprising 200 respondents wherein data was gathered with a structured questionnaire with 27 questions including Likert scale statements and categorical questions representing the variables relevant to the study. The responses were analyzed with IBM SPSS 16.0 for univariate statistics and bivariate tests like Pearson’s correlation, one-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests. It was found that perception of sexually appealing advertisements varied within different demographic profiles. Factors like perception, society’s attitude and acceptance and medium of advertisements tend to significantly influence the effectiveness of this marketing viewpoint. Keywords:- Sexual appeal, advertisements, perception, marketing effectiveness, ‘Sex sells’ – marketers philosophy Introduction is not rational as emotions are highly Marketing has always been an important influential factors in this case. Usage of part of business as it contributes in sexual content in advertisements has been presenting a product distinctively. increasingly popular predominantly for Promotional activities have been a perfumes, clothing and beauty products. successful tool in attracting the target However, recently there has been a growing segment. Promotional activities include trend of using sexual content in food advertising, sales promotion, personal products and cause-related marketing selling, direct marketing, public relations contents. and publicity. Advertising is a type of marketing, which can be considered as a Objectives of the study mode of persuasion, it focuses on To study the influence of sexual appeal persuading consumers to consider a product in advertising for purchase. This kind of purchase decision 72 ELK ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT-SPECIAL ISSUE ISSN 0976-7193 (Print) ISSN 2349-2317 (Online); DOI: 10.16962/EAPJMRM/ISSN.2349-2317/2014 4th International Marketing Conference Reimagining Marketing – Confluence of Creativity and Technology IBS- Mumbai To explore its effectiveness as a have a connection with models being in marketing tool some stage of nudity. Sexual appeal is also To discover the positive effects and used when there is no obvious connection negative impacts of sexual appeal with the appeal and the advertised product 3. Literature Review (Fidelis et al 2017). Advertisement content can be sexualized in The major variables derived from previous different ways. This includes not only studies relevant for the current study and images and text, but it can be the physical their operational definitions are given features of the models in the advertisements, below: movement and the context. Each of these (1)Perception is the organisation, factors includes various aspects that identification, interpretation of sensory contribute to the perceived sexual level of an information in order to represent and advertisement (Raghuram, Mahajan & understand the presented information or the Poddar 2015). The individual differences in environment. tastes, perception and choices affect if (2)Sexuality- It is the way one likes to people respond positively or negatively to a express oneself sexually. It is the preference specific advertisement (LaTour & as a sexual being, which can be biological, Henthorne 1994). The mood or the mental social and emotional. and emotional state in which the consumer (3)Sexual reality- Reality is the state of is in while being exposed to the things as they actually exist, as opposed to advertisements tend to influence their way an idealistic or notional idea of them. Sexual of processing such advertisements (Moses & reality is the conditions, notions, perception Charles 2014). Consumer characteristics on sex that exists in the minds of people also tend to influence the responses to such (Alexander& Judd, 1978). advertisements like gender, age, personality (4)Sexual self-representation- Portraying as well as the product’s fit with the level of oneself with a sexy gaze, sexy appearance, sexual appeal that is being used in the scantily dressed up. advertisements (Hedstrom & Carlson, 2017). (5)Personality- Individuals’ personality Sawang (2010) stated that the culture of a influences their attitudes as consumers, nation is of critical importance for the which makes personality a factor of high acceptance of sexual content in importance while analysing the impact of advertisements. Sex appeal in advertisement sexual advertising (Panda 2005). is used as attention grabber and does not (6)Masculinity- Masculinity is a set of intent to sell sex, but many a times this is attributes, behaviours and roles associated misinterpreted by the consumers when there with boys and men. is a misfit of sexual content and product (7)Product Fit- The effectiveness of a sexual (Motwani & Agarwal 2012). It is perceived advertisement might be connected to the that sexual appeal is used for products that congruence between the sexual appeal and 73 ELK ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT-SPECIAL ISSUE ISSN 0976-7193 (Print) ISSN 2349-2317 (Online); DOI: 10.16962/EAPJMRM/ISSN.2349-2317/2014 4th International Marketing Conference Reimagining Marketing – Confluence of Creativity and Technology IBS- Mumbai the advertised product or brand H4: There is significant difference between (Vandenbosch et al 2015). respondents belonging to various (8)Nudity sells – It is a marketing occupations in respect of perception about philosophy used in favour of sexually sexually appealing advertisements. appealing advertisements. The level of H5:There is significant relationship between nudity in an advertisement influences personality and perception of sexually consumers’ emotions and further their appealing advertisements. attitudes toward the advertisement H6: There is significant relationship (Hermannsdóttir & Gunnarsdóttir, 2015). between brand popularity and brand (9)Marketing Ethics- It is an area of applied recognition of sexually appealing ethics which deals with the moral principles advertisement behind the operation and regulation of H7:There is significant relationship between marketing. attitude of society and ethical factors of (10)Brand popularity- Refers to the sexually appealing advertisements. proportion of buyers holding an affinity H8:There is significant association between towards that particular brand. medium of advertisement and buying (11)Brand recall- refers to the ability of the decision of products promoted through consumers to correctly elicit a brand name sexually appealing advertisements from memory when prompted by a product category. 6. Research Methodology (12)Brand recognition- refers to the ability This study was descriptive in nature. A pilot of the consumers to correctly differentiate study was conducted showing respondents the brand when they come into contact with the print advertisements of various brands it (Speck, Guitierrez, Sawayda 2011). having sexually appealing content. Primary data was collected through structured self- 5. Hypothesis administered questionnaire consisting of 27 H1- There is a significant difference questions out of which 21 were Likert scale between respondents belonging to different and 6 were categorical ones. The sampling age groups in respect of perception about technique was purposive sampling with a sexually appealing advertisements. total sample size of 200. Data analysis was H2- There is a significant difference performed with descriptive statistics and between males and females in respect of bivariate techniques like correlation, one- perception about sexually appealing way analysis of variance and chi square advertisements. tests, using IBM SPSS 16.0 software. H3-There is significant difference between respondents from different places of residence in respect of perception about sexually appealing advertisements. 74 ELK ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT-SPECIAL ISSUE ISSN 0976-7193 (Print) ISSN 2349-2317 (Online); DOI: 10.16962/EAPJMRM/ISSN.2349-2317/2014 4th International Marketing Conference Reimagining Marketing – Confluence of Creativity and Technology IBS- Mumbai 7. Data Analysis and Interpretation backgrounds and different age groups in This section is divided into two parts, India. As most of the extant literature namely descriptive statistics and testing of focused on western countries, it was hypothesis. interesting to note that certain findings of the current study conformed with them, even 8. Findings of the study though the sample population