Assignment #7 - Advertising

1.Explain why you believe that sexual appeals in advertising do or do not have "redeeming value".

The use of sex in advertising does not have a positive effect besides the attention that advertisers are looking from the consumers, although this might seem a positive thing for advertisers, there are risks like losing consumers, projecting a wrong image of the product/brand and confronting legal issues.
The use sex in ads also tend to mislead the consumer about the characteristics the product and the purpose of the ad.

2.Even if sexual appeals are considered okay by the audiences that are directly targeted, what responsibility does the advertiser have for any effect on indirect targets, such as adults who are offended or children? How can advertisers protect themselves from this problem?

Advertisers have the responsibility to run advertising with sexual content through the right channels and times that are suitable for the content and its target. 
Also it is the advertiser's obligation to repair any indirect targets that have been offended by the ads presented in wrong times or channels.
Companies will protect themselves by using more creativity on their ads. If a company opts for the use of sex, they should evaluate the content, their ethics and their final consumer expectations.

3.Is it acceptable for advertisers to exploit consumer insecurities in an effort to sell more of their product? Should advertisers accepts some ethical responsibility for creating unrealistic "aspirations" and intensifying confidence-related disorders ?

Advertising is always deceptive in some way, there is not a single product in the market that can make people; happy, sexy, wanted or secure, like most of the ads messages claim. The ethical issues that are connected with sex in advertising should be faced by the advertiser because selling a product through aspirational messages disrespects people's motivation, confidence, and integrity. 

Sex sells in advertising. Find three (3) ads that reflect sexual content. Who are they aimed at and are they effective, confusing or "over the top." Submit an one to two paragraph analysis for each ad. Remember to link or embed the ad in your submission. 


The following ads are clear aimed to young adults and they are "over the top."

This Axe ad contrast the convenient side of being a man in a sexual situation meanwhile a woman looks dirty. Axe's ad is misrepresenting the woman body and sexuality.

Some products targeted for men usually use sex and women on their ads to attract audience, however there are ways to connect with a male audience without diminish the opposite sex. 

Axe is positioned in the mind's of consumers "as the fragrance that will attract women" which in other words is questioning the women's capacity to understand and react.

This ad is using woman as an object. Woman's position on the floor relate to the men's positions implies the superiority of men over women, also the suggestive "sex act" refers to women as simple sexual objects. Every man standing up waiting for their turn to be with the woman is witnessing the unpleasant moment that she is having, this shows the lack of appreciation for the woman's integrity. She does not look happy.

Using the breasts of a woman to display a male perfume is just irrespectful and depressing. Who ever thought of this Ad; men or women, and made it public, don't have any ethical standards. This is not advertising this is porno. 

Advertising men's products always seems to get away with the idea of using women as objects, but rarely there are ad's for women that use men as sexual objects. 

The use of sex is a very low strategy to get attention that will always show the poor ethical policies of the company and the lack of respect from the company to society.