Sex: An Musician's Secret Weapon

Business News Daily —Sex still sells. That's the conclusion of new research that finds ads featuring sex are on the rise, so to speak.

The study, from the University of Georgia, looked at sexual ads appearing in magazines over the past 30 years and found that the numbers are up."Advertisers use sex because it can be very effective," said researcher Tom Reichert, professor and head of the department of advertising and public relations in the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. "Sex sells because it attracts attention. People are hard-wired to notice sexually relevant information, so ads with sexual content get noticed."

Brand impressions are shaped by explicit images in advertising. Arguably, Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret are not much different than Hanes or Vassarette, but perception studies show those brands are perceived as ‘sexy,' and most customers want that.

The researchers looked at 3,232 full-page ads published in 1983, 1993 and 2003 in the popular magazines Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Esquire, Playboy, Newsweek and Time.  They found sexual imagery in 20 percent of the ads. Using sex to sell everything from alcohol to banking services has increased over the years: 15 percent of ads studied used sex as a selling point in 1983. That percentage grew to 27 percent in 2003. Specifically, entertainment ads are responsible for much of the increase.

Credit: Grammy Nominated Artist
Elijah Blake

It takes more explicitness to grab our attention and arouse us than before. In 2019, exposed buttocks, breast and frontal nudity are more socially acceptable today. We can see during our lifetimes the changes in sexually explicit content in music videos and other forms of media beyond just advertising. Musicians are encouraged to show their more vulnerability side in the most imitate ways possible. It's fun, and it gives the fans something to be excited about.

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