Sex in Fashion Advertising

Fashion advertising is used by brands to promote their products which they want to increase sales on or launch new products (Easey, 2009). Fashion advertising is a lot slower than other selling areas such as food advertising, (Easey, 2009) as people will shop to be fashionable if they have exposable income, were food is a vital part of staying alive (Maslow, 2004). When fashion advertising is at it's peak, it is during end of season sales or festive periods (Easey, 2009). Consumers in the fashion industry want the new and not old (Easey, 2009), consumers want to be current within the general public eye (Easey, 2009). However consumers money is what determines what they can buy and what quantity they buy it in. Fashion Advertisers will use advertising campaigns to sell their products to the target market who can potentially buy these products, prime focus of many fashion advertising campaigns is sex (Easey, 2009; TomFord, 2014).

The following images are from Diesel Spring-Wear campaign of 2010, a simple message of sex sells but unlucky for Diesel they are selling jeans in this campaign, hence they cannot just simply show people having sex to promote their products. Diesel are using the technique of sex sells in their campaign but using it in a negative way to promote their jeans.  




Credit: Diesel Offical





Credit: Diesel Offical




Credit: Diesel Offical

Consumer behaviour plays a massive part in who will be interested by sexual content in fashion advertising campaigns. Depending on what people life/ moral values are, this will depend whether or not this kind of material will interest them in order to buy the fashion item being promoted. Sexualisation in fashion products has almost become the norm for many of fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Diesel or Tom Ford (psychologyformarketers, 2014). The relationship between sex and marketing has been imbedded as a key aspect of selling a product, simply because it works and generates interest (psychologyformarketers, 2014). The answer is sex does sell (psychologyformarketers, 2014). There is apparently no limit to what consumers consider too much or push would we would call acceptable to view, hence this is what Diesel marketing department in 1999 seem to think by the following video. 

The following video is an advertisement from Diesel (1999), taking porn film clips and replacing them with funny animations instead of seeing the pornographic scene. Diesel are pushing what consumers want to see and displaying to the public porn as a brand message from Diesel. Distributing scenes to use for a fashion advertising campaign or is this simply showing sex does sell.

Sex used in fashion advertising works so well as it results back to our basic desires and needs from life (Easey, 2009). This desire reverts back to the primeval, stone-age way of thinking, as human beings we only fight for three survival instincts:

-Food
-Danger
-Sex

This is why sex is fashion advertising works so well as humans we have a need for sex in our life. This part of the brain that deals with emotions and what you need to do to survive, find food, fight danger and who to have sex with, relates to our spending habits. This is why fashion advertising and sex work prefect together in the terms of sex will be appealing to people, reverting back to the primal instincts (Easey, 2009). Sexual advertising evokes an emotion from everyone, and when you see a sexual advertising campaign, the primeval part of the brain gets activated and interest is spiked for human, having the need to have sex.(psychologyformarketers, 2014).

Sexual advertisements will always play a huge part in fashion advertising, from the point of the consumers, consumers want to be sexy and to be seen as sexy from the clothes they wear to attract sexual mates. This relates back to our primeval way of life, the need for wanting to have sex, marketers or fashion brands will use this basic concept to sell their products, as hence sex does sell (Easey, 2009). 

References

Easey, M., 2009. Fashion Marketing 3rd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell.

Maslow, R., 2004. The Third Force: The Psychology of Abraham Maslow. Maurine Bassett.  

Psychology for Marketers, 2014., Psychology for Marketers articles. [online]. [viewed on: 15th November 2016]. Available from: http://psychologyformarketers.com/sex-and-marketing/

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/

Alexander Wang Denim - Too much Skin?

Alexander Wang is a Taiwanese American fashion designer and was the former Balenciaga’s creative director (Bustle, 2014). Wang now runs his own fashion brand that is sold in more than 700 stores across the globe, such luxury stores including Bloomingdales and Barney’s New York. Wang is well known for his urban designs on his clothing range and pushing the limits of what we consider as acceptable in his advertising campaigns (Bustle, 2014).


Credit: Alexander Wang Official

Alexander Wang advertising campaign of denim clothes in 2014, the campaign itself is very innovative and simply shows naked woman in sexual position while wearing very little denim. The controversial advert see’s model ‘Anne Ewers’ with the jeans around her ankles and her hand on her crotch, simply the model pose in the advert is enough to simply shout out sex within the advertising campaign graphic (Huffingtonpost, 2014). Alexander Wang suggests this advert was to provoke a shock response from the viewers (Huffingtonpost, 2014), to not only receive that shock value but to remember this campaign and hence start conversation around this brand, increasing brand awareness for Alexander Wang as a result. Ewers (Model) is posed in a sexual way and being sweaty in the advert, adds to the sexual attraction of this sexual campaign but is seen to be touching herself pushes the limit (Bustle, 2014). This advert is simply to sell Alexander Wang jeans, so why does Wang and his creative team decide it is best to promote Wang products by showing very little denim and have the girl almost masturbating in the advert (Huffingtonpost, 2014), which is clearly the focus point of the advert graphic. Can you even see the bathtub in the campaign photo above? This advert is clearly pushing the boundary of what we consider acceptable and what is simply porn (Huffingtonpost, 2014). The advert is very suggestive and does push the limits of what we as consumers can or not accept from a fashion advertising campaign. Is this advert just simply artist/ creative or simply offensive to the public watching suggestive porn? Consumers acted negatively around this advert as the graphic simply shouted sex and could not be seen from a fashion perspective, decreasing brand respect from consumers due to the advert nature (Huffingtonpost, 2014). But the message of the campaign being centred around sex, will get consumers talking and attract consumers to be as sexy as the model in the advert.


Credit: Alexander Wang Official

Alexander Wang uses this type of advert, in a pornographic style to make consumers think if they buy this product, they will be like the model posing (Bustle, 2014). This advertising campaign USP is, you are buying the idea of Alexander Wang and not just the product, you are buying the lifestyle of being hot and sexy. If you buy a pair of Alexander Wang jeans you will get this hot and sexy life in the advertising campaign like the model posing. Sexual advertising resorts to our primeval instincts of needing sex and having the urge to have sex, so exploiting this message is a smart way of showing off your products in an advertising campaign (Bustle, 2014). Sex truly does sell and works to provoke a response from the public and make conversations about this advertising campaign from the consumers. 

References

Bustle, 2014., Bustle Articles. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: https://www.bustle.com/articles/52154-why-alexander-wangs-sexy-new-denim-campaign-is-more-like-alexander-wangs-dull-new-denim-campaign

Huffingtonpost, 2014., Huffington Post. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/04/alexander-wang-s-debut-denim-campaign-is-provocative-but-not-innovative_n_7319070.html

W24, 2014., W24 articles. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: http://www.w24.co.za/Archive/Alexander-Wang-debuts-extremely-pornographic-ad-campaign-NSFW-20141204

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/

Dolce & Gabbana - Advertising too explicit and sexual?

Dolce and Gabbana (D&G) is a luxury fashion brand that is ran by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce&Gabbana, 2016). The duo first met in Milan in 1980 were they worked for an independent fashion brand before joining together to form their own brand using their last names. D&G quickly raised to fame and made over 500 million dollars towards the end 1990’s due to their out of the box thinking and now their annual turnover can be anything from 600 million dollars upwards (Dolce&Gabbana, 2016). D&G main fashion style is formal and timeless pieces, designed for upper class people who can afford this luxury (Dolce&Gabbana, 2016). D&G have won many awards for their amazing advertising campaigns and being centred around style and high class, however D&G have done a fair share of sexual advertising campaigns were some of these images have labelled with very negative conation’s for the brand itself and how they chose to brand their products (Dolce&Gabbana, 2016).

The following images are from D&G fragrance range of Spring/Summer 2007.

Credit: D&G

Credit: D&G


Credit: D&G


Credit D&G


Credit: D&G

Credit: D&G

Should a fashion advertising campaign show gang rape and we as consumers think this is okay to promote your seasons ‘must haves?' The campaign images attracted a lot of attention from major TV shows like American next top model for example. American next top model judge Kelly Clarkson judge tweeted following the images release “I guess simulating gang bans are fine – same sex marriage is not – life according to @D&G” (Metro, 2015). Dolce and Gabbana did make headlines after their standpoint on same sex marriage was released and the duo are not supporting this in our modern times. However, shortly after the duo released an advertising graphic suggesting gang rape yet again but only men appearing this time (Metro, 2015). The adverts were soon pulled from release in 2007 whilst still in production due to the adverts nature and suggestive poses in the graphics above. However, the adverts were already online before it was pulled from their proceedings meaning this image's could easily be saved and shared. The Advertising Self-Discipline Institute labelled the advert's as “Offended the dignity of the woman, in the sense that the feminine figure is shown in degrading manner” (Metro, 2015). The overall look of a helpless woman and mighty men surrounding her and being what violent towards her is not a good look for any fashion brand whether they want to be sexy or not. This type of suggestive imagery that a woman is subjected to a gang rape, or does our current culture allow for this, in that the image is purely creative and the norm. Consumers did react negatively around this image and deeply affect D&G brand image and what they stand for as a result (Metro, 2015). Negative cognations for any fashion brand values is bad, despite D&G advert being pulled from many productions expect for circumstances they could not avoid, D&G saw a 12% rise in sales (Bloomberg, 2013). The woman is seen to be less superior than men and promote deep sexual tension between male and female, despite this the advertising campaign worked for D&G.

The images below see’s a woman dressed in skin tight leather and representing a dominance nature, having whips to hit the topless men on their knees. The men shirts are covering their eyes which is strong sexual image with woman in control of these topless men and can have their way. Does the image suggest woman are always in charge of men despite the glass ceiling still in many organisations, or could this image suggest woman are always in charge in the bed room (HuffingtonPost, 2015). This is another Dolce and Gabbana advertising image that screams sex and takes away the fashion aspect of expressing clothing but selling it's life values are for sale. If a consumer were to buy Dolce and Gabbana products, they can in return have a taste of this hot and sexy life, this is truly what Dolce and Gabbana highlight in their sexual advertising campaigns and safe to say their turnover mentioned at the start, the idea works in using sex to sell their products. Consumers do react negatively but still buy the products as mentioned previous. Dolce and Gabbana are promoting heavily gang rape imagery and just simply represent sexual dominance if you buy their products, but it is clearly working. D&G sexual advertising campaigns evoke emotions from the media and public alike, which clearly work for their brand, although negative conation’s are highly involved in their campaign they do get people talking and buying their products as a result of sexual advertising. 

Credit: D&G


References

Bloomberg, 2013. Bloomberg news. [online[. [viewed 12th November 2016]. Available from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-01-15/dolce-and-gabbana-become-billionaires-amid-global-spending-spree

Dolce and Gabbana, 2016., D&G group. [Online]. [viewed 11 November 2016. Available from: http://www.dolcegabbana.com/corporate/en/group/company.html

Huffington Post, 2015. Huffington Post Articles.[Online]. [viewed 11 November 2016. Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/18/dolce-and-gabbana0gang-rape-advert_n_6893044.html

Metro, 2015., Metro articles. [Online]. [viewed 11 November 2016. Available from: http://metro.co.uk/2015/03/18/dolce-gabbana-in-hot-water-again-after-gang-rape-ad-campaign-resurfaces-just-days-after-ivf-furore-5108624/

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/

Calvin Klein - Sexual advertising material

Credit: Calvin Klein.

Credit: Calvin Klein.

Credit: Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein latest advertising campaign of spring 2016, pushes the boundary on what we as consumers think is acceptable to experience seeing a sexual advertising image (Telegraph, 2016). The topic of the campaign is #mycalvins, allows us as a viewer, to see a sexual side of the models posing in these images. One image sees model ‘Kendal Jenner’ hold and squeeze a grapefruit in this images. The fruit itself is to resemble a woman vagina and the explicit images with the fruit being place between her lips and legs is in a sexual expression (Telegraph, 2016). Another image see’s model ‘Klara Kristen’ (ABOVE) being shown with her dress being placed above the camera and you can openly see her in a sexual context. Klara Kristen herself actually defended the image, she defended this advertisement by strongly enforcing she was only portraying an artistic view and not to be seen an innocent girl caught sexuality (Vogue, 2016). Would someone be encouraged to purchase a Calvin Klein product from seeing up a woman dress, as a viewer you are looking like a predator up a young girls dress. A woman might want to be seen as hot and sexy, as the models in the pictures, so will not be offended by the graphic they see and will want to buy these products from their sexual imagery  (Telegraph, 2016). 

This campaign relates to how we communicate in our current culture and that sex plays a huge part in communication to anyone, whether this be friends or strangers through advertising campaigns (Fashionista, 2016). Calvin Klein have stated this campaign acts a visual presentation of artistic views and hence, sparks an emotion from the public by what they are seeing and not just portraying woman sexually (Telegraph, 2016). Calvin Klein himself is not a fan of this work and advertisements with such models as Kendall Jenner, Klein has stated he would rather show woman as power symbols than just virgin sex symbols (Vogue, 2016). However, this campaign is insanely sexual in the terms it makes a consumer want to go and buy the product and hence have a tastes of this hot and sexy life portrayed by Calvin Klein products (Vogue, 2016). 


Credit: Calvin Klein


Credit: Calvin Klein

Sexual imagery is nothing new or something which is not already be seen before, sexual advertising does sell products and spark interest from people, this is why Calvin Klein fashion advertising works (Telegraph, 2016).This is not the first time Calvin Klein has attempted to evoke an emotion from publics. In 1990 Calvin Klein had a topless Kate Moss straddling a topless Mark Walberg in an advertising campaign to promote Calvin Klein underwear (Vogue, 2016). This campaign was intended to shock the public and hence make people talk about this campaign and allow people to tap into this culture being shown. This campaign alone generated 85million profit for the brand in America (Vogue, 2016), and since its debut has still been the discussion moment of when fashion advertising used sexual imagery to it's fullest for the first time. However, does this make it right to look at a topless eighteen-year-old girl and think this is only an advert, not intended for anything more, or again truly showings sex sex. 

The idea is ‘Sex does sell’, but can it still sell when there is no shock value from the consumers or publics watching (Telegraph, 2016). Sex does play a massive part in what we see in fashion advertising and will always play a huge part into why we buy the products we buy. For example, consumers, would not buy Calvin Klein underwear from a sixty-year old woman posing in an advert half nude. Consumers want to see a young, tight and toned girl to be wearing the underwear in a sexual way to attract us as consumers to buy it, so we can be just like that young girl in the graphic as a result or get a girl like that in our life (Vogue, 2016).

References:

Fashionista, 2016., Fashionista columns. [online]. [viewed 10th November 2016]. Available from: http://fashionista.com/2016/05/petition-against-calvin-klein 

Telegraph, 2016., Telegraph Fashion. [online]. [viewed 10th November 2016]. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/brands/calvin-klein-launches-predictably-provocative-advertising-campai/

Vogue, 2016., Vogue articles. [online]. [viewed 10th November 2016]. Available from:http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/calvin-klein-upskirt-ad-controversy-klara-kristin-defends-photograph 

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/

Tom Ford Advertising Campaigns - Too much?

Tom Ford or his real name Thomas Carlyle is an American fashion designer and creative director in fashion and film. Tom Ford has worked with many high class fashion brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren (Vogue, 2008). Tom Ford worked at Gucci for nineteen years to which his last role was overall creative director of Gucci (Kalfopoulos, 2016). At this time Gucci was facing hard struggles and were reluctant to release new ranges to avoid threats of loss of market share (Kalfopoulos, 2016). Tom ford in his entire career at Gucci was question for his style and creative inspiration of being too out there, in the sense that this is not what Gucci consumers need (Vogue, 2008). Yet Gucci needed someone like Tom Ford to create a new brand image for Gucci and spark interest in Gucci again (Kalfopoulos, 2016). Tom Ford style nearly had him fired in many of occasions at Gucci yet he progressed to the leading role of being Gucci creative director (Kalfopoulos, 2016). Tom Ford style was simply sex sells. Shortly after leaving Gucci, Tom Ford started his own brand of ready to wear clothes and cosmetics called 'Tom Ford' (Vogue, 2008). Hence what happen at Gucci and Gucci advertising style, Tom Ford uses the concept of 'Sex Sells' in all his advertising material when promoting his products (Kalfopoulos, 2016). The idea of 'Sex Sells' is true to Tom Ford nature and that consumers what to be sexy when buying fashion products and seem attractive to the other sex (Vogue, 2008). Tom Ford advertising campaigns are known to be out there and adventurous, to evoke an emotional response from the consumers, hence spread word of mouth of Tom Ford products (Vogue, 2008).

Tom ford target market is: 25- 45 independent woman who desire to have Tom Ford style of life he promotes through his advertising campaigns

Production country: England, France, Germany and United States

Credit: Tom Ford


Credit: Tom Ford


Credit: Tom Ford

The adverts images above for Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Perfume range, which is also a waterproof range, hence the water in the images. As a consumer we look at the above imagery as purely two individuals having fun while naked not selling products. You would not think the above image is used to sell perfume and attract consumers to buy this range from this advertising campaign (Vogue, 2008). The models in the images represented above, sell the idea of sex when selling perfume, they are selling that when you buy Tom Ford products you will get a part of the naked and sexy life. According to Tom Ford 'Sex does sell', the importance of showing an sexual attraction in an advertising campaign is vital to increasing sales and market share (Vogue, 2008). This concept does work as Tom Ford uses this methodology of ' sex sells' from his starting days in Gucci and hence in his 19 years of being there increased their market share due to his sexual campaigns (Kalfopoulos, 2016).Tom Ford consumers behaviour is they want the hot and sexy life he promotes in this entire life. Tom Ford uses this idea of sex sells to evoke emotions from consumers to hope they wonder why they are naked and hence buy the products (Vogue, 2008). Consumers do receive a shock value from Tom Ford campaigns graphics and hence create a behavior around Tom Ford of being all about sex. However, for a consumer, if this is something you want, they know were to go to a have a taste of that life. 

Credit: Tom Ford



Credit: Tom Ford

The above images is an extreme measure of trying to evoke emotions from a consumer and that advertising this male cosmetic product represents a male penis. Tom Ford is selling the idea of, if you buy this product this will happen to you, if you spray his perfume (Vogue, 2008). The cosmetic product is situated in a way to think if a male consumer buys this product, this will in return happen to them. Would a consumer think this is what happens or would consumers only be evoked with negative emotions of why this girl is naked and posed in these sexual ways, or does Tom Ford sexual approach to selling his products really a marketing success guide on how to sell fashion products.

References:

Kalfopoulos, Alexia., 2016. To what extend did Tom Ford and his marketing technique imposed at Gucci affect the turnaround of the company. Business and Management Press.

Vogue, 2008. Vogue Biography. [online]. [viewed 3rd November 2016]. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/tom-ford-biography

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/