Indiscriminate Use of Sex Appeal in Advertisement: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Advertisement is a form of communication used to promote a product, service, or an idea. The use of sexual appeal in advertising to promote a product has been a technique that has been used from time immemorial. When this mode was first introduced, it was a great success as it was obscene enough to incite a shock amongst the viewers. and it immediately grabbed their attention. However, over time, this mode uses various other strategies to grab the attention and appeal to the consumer, thus, making it an effective mode of advertising. It is understood that some amount of seduction and manipulation is prevalent in such ads. These play with the minds of the viewers to incite an exact reaction and they then go on to transform that reaction into a desire for the product. The important question thus arises when studying such ads is the effective that this has on the viewers. The paper, thus, seeks to answer this question in a two-fold study, the effectiveness of the techniques used by the advertisers that play on the reactions of the viewers and the ultimate impact that it may have on the personal lives of the users. This will be done through an analysis of the first-hand responses retrieved and a study of examples and cases dealing with the same.

Keywords: Indecency, Sexual Behaviour, Nudity, Distraction, Self-Concept, Stereotypical Norms, Flawless Model

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