Advertisers To Target Women With Sex, Commitment

A new study shows that women may respond well to sex in advertising, but only if it’s presented in the right way. You know what that means: even more pointless nudity!

Well, maybe. But only if the sexy sex implied is in line with “women’s intrinsic values.” Confused as to what those are? The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, helpfully defines the female attitude toward sex: “Our work builds upon existing perspectives in sexual psychology, which argues for stark differences in men’s and women’s sexual beliefs and motivations. This literature portrays men as having positive attitudes towards casual and recreational sex, whereas women value the emotional intimacy and commitment that can surround the sexual relationship.” Yay, stereotypes!

The study goes on to suggest that women would be happier seeing sex in ads if they knew the people were in a devoted and committed relationship. The researchers used certain cues (like positioning the product as a gift from a man to a woman) to imply that the ad was about couple-sex (or you know, some form of prostitution) and not casual sex. They advise advertisers to continue using sex in ads, but to use appropriate “positioning and relationship context” to make it female-friendly.

Sadly, this may not even mean less bukkake-esque shots, since they apparently work so well on guys. As reported last week, brain scans of men looking at photographs of women (both scantily clad and fully dressed) showed that men were far more likely to remember the headless woman in the bikini than the woman with all her clothes. They also found that when looking at the undressed ladies men were more likely to show signs of activity in the region of the brain associated with tool use. So, to recap, women want sex only with commitment and love, and men see women as tools, not people. Great.

Does sex sell? New study shows how to make women respond to sexy ads [EurekAlert]
Bikinis Make Men See Women As Objects, Scans Confirm [National Geographic]