March 5, 2006
The Come Hither Look: "SEX" in Advertising
For the purposes of our discussion, let us define "sex". Any advertising message promising bigger, higher paying, more artistic, glamorous projects, more money from said projects, more convenience from the tedium of shooting, editing or the promise of "dates" with babes holding video or audio equipment, for the purposes of this article, shall be known as "sex". Let us take a look at several different types of "sex" in advertising aimed at you, the media professional. These ads are rated with a normal scholastic grading system, with an "F" being a very ineffective use of "sex" and an "A" being very "sexy". See if you agree.
Economies of Scale - B+
"It's a Twister, Auntie Em!" - B-
"Talk About a 'Type A' Personality!" - D
copyright © Eugene J. Hall 2006
By Dr. Eugene J. Hall
I want to talk to you about "sex". No, dear reader, not the down and dirty, fun kind. This type of "sex" is the kind of message that you, as a media professional are bombarded with on an almost constant basis in magazine ads, in web advertising and at conventions and trade shows. It is no secret that sex sells but it's always interesting to take a look at how different types of "sex" in ads are used to sell products. Now you just know that Ad agencies and Corporations spend countless hours and dollars coming up with ways to entice you into buying their products. You, as a media professional, probably like to think that you are fairly media savvy and have probably "seen it all" in advertising, but how many times have you really given any thought to the implications of the ads aimed at you?
The Blatant Come On - B-
In this first example, notice the beautiful model holding the PD-150 on the camera stabilizer? What is this ad selling? At first glance, you might think its selling camera stabilization device, yes? No, you would be wrong. The alluring smile on the model's face, her bountiful, outwardly thrust chest, the suggestive placement of her hand upon the hip of her skintight jeans can only mean one thing, "buy this thing to stabilize your PD-150 and we'll soon be doing the horizontal Mambo."
The Even More Blatant Come On - B
"Edit Faster"? What editor wouldn't like to edit faster? Seems like an innocent enough thought until you notice blaring red color of the word "faster" in the ad copy, the "come hither" look on the model's face, the non too subtle racing suit unzipped to the waist, looking as if could be unzipped even further if you "edit" fast enough. Then there is the Freudian insinuation of the racing helmet she is holding. The blatant symbolism here reaches new heights, implying sexual fulfillment through the purchase of an editing accessory.
Nakedness, Sex and Your Digital Audio Workstation - A
There is nothing in the least bit coy about this ad. The naked model, the suggestive pose, the implied orgiastic "coupling" of your digital audio workstation with these outboard effects units. This advertiser must be congratulated for not sugar coating their use of sex in selling their product. It is somewhat difficult to denounce this sort of ad, as it is so blatant, there is nothing coy or hidden here; it is a full on sexual cornucopia of girl, consumer, digital audio workstation and outboard effects.
Now we shift gears to a different type of "sex". This type of "sex" is one of the "big promise". The ad to the left is a web banner version of a print ad that Canon has been running as a two page full color inside cover in several of the industry trade magazines. The ad (it's difficult to tell from this small ad banner version), depicts an "independent filmmaker" "filming" a car stunt with his trusty Canon XL-1. The "sex" at work in this ad is of the delusional kind. How many Canon XL-1 owners are "filming" $100,000.00 plus car stunts with a $3,200.00 prosumer DV camcorder? The "sexual" implication of the ad is, "buy an XL-1 to make your film, just like Steven Soderbergh did to shoot the abysmal 'Full Frontal' You can be the next James Cameron, you can be the next Jerry Bruckheimer, just buy an XL-1!". Needless to say, a car crashing through a flaming explosion with a high speed barrel roll off of a ramp is not the typical fodder for DV users or independent filmmakers so I award an "B+" to this ad for the pure fictional suggestion. Talk about fulfilling your audience's wants.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall of this pitch meeting from Canon's ad agency. This is the same as the XL-1 ad, only perhaps a little more believable, if not a lot weirder. According to the "sexual" content in this ad, the GL-2 is the weapon of choice to shoot...tornados. Umm...okay. I guess that everyone shoots tornados and we want to sell GL-2s to everyone so it seems like a natural match. Right? If you figure that probably 50% of Canon's US market resides in areas where tornadoes are a common occurrence, it at least becomes more believable than shooting Hollywood car stunts. It seems a little strange though. I guess the "sexual" implication is that the GL-2 is for the videographer "on the go" who "seeks out danger" and "lives to tell the tale by capturing that tornado footage" Once again, a fairly interesting implication of fulfilling delusions of grandeur amongst Canon's target audience.
Meet Joe. Joe is a wedding/event videographer. Joe saw the ad for the Canon XL-1 and envisioned himself shooting a car crash stunt. The sad reality is that Joe discovered he couldn't quite swing the $100K needed to stage a car crash stunt like the one portrayed in the Canon ad. But he bought the XL-1 anyway. Then he bought a Titanium Powerbook. Then he bought Final Cut Express. Then he received his American Express bill for the XL-1, the Titanium Powerbook and Final Cut Express. See Joe shoot a wedding. Shoot, Joe, shoot. Six hours of footage including Aunt Glenda at the church, the mother of the bride crying about "losing her baby", the photo shoot, the ceremony, the reception. See Joe trying to edit the video after everyone has gone home. See Joe tearing his hair out because of the sync problems from the XL-1. Joe has three more weddings booked for tomorrow, which is why he is editing at a reception. See Joe rendering and then running out of hard drive space. A man, a camcorder, a laptop computer, some software...in an empty hotel ballroom...editing. I don't know, I find Joe's predicament somewhat sad. I hope things look up for Joe. Perhaps if somebody will just introduce him to the model in the "Edit Faster" ad?
Dr. Eugene J. Hall holds a bachelor's degree in human relations from UC Berkley and a master's degree in television production from the American Film Institute. He is the author of a popular book on toasters and criminals, "Hey, Leggo of That, It's Mine!" and is a renowned expert on bedwetting, editing and petty larceny.
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