Butter, perfume and music: Sex doesn't always sell

Taylor Swift

Carol Forsloff — It’s a common belief that sex sells, but the experts don’t think so, at least if one wants consistent and positive response over time from anything from music to butter.

According to behavior experts, overt sex revealed too frequently can be a turnoff. People begin to wonder about motivation and see it as driven by less talent concerns than the desire for attention. The problem is the attention is short-lived.

An Iowa study found that people are likely more able to remember the advertising in advertisements when they are not surrounded by sex or violence. Many experts observe that the notion sex sells is a false one. In fact less is more is the dictum for “selling”. In other words, more modest, sexually-oriented material has more lasting appeal, and actually sells more products or services, than the overt, more blatant types.

Psychologists say this: “Sexually graphic, intensely violent television programs are selling only one thing: the message of excessive violence and sex.

It is a coarsening and degrading message. It is a message of hostility and misogyny. And it doesn't even work!”

Journal of Consumer Research, presented research by Janne van Doorn and Diederik A. Stapel of Tilburg University in the Netherlands that also concluded that too much sex has the reverse effect on sales, with folks less likely to have long term interest or memory of the product being sold.

Scientific research has also demonstrated that women do not respond favorably to flashy magazine advertisements with sexy women.  A University of Florida research study of 100 women of college age found that after being shown a number of advertisements with flashy, seductive photos, the young women expressed boredom and disinterest. Researchers concluded that male marketers miss the mark when putting out very seductive photos for advertising, with respect to how women feel.  Women tend to gravitate to an attractive woman, like Katie Homes, or in music someone like Taylor Swift, both of whom have that down-home, prettiness as opposed to the overtly sexy model from a Victoria Secret Ad.

So the next time you want to sell perfume, butter or music, it’s best to know what the facts are with respect to sex and advertising and getting the effect you want. The best approach is that less is more, substantiated not just by science, but the old adage we once learned as well, especially women, not to show it all and expect respect — or sales.