Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Does sex really sell?


This Sunday, some of the world's biggest companies will be revealing new advertisements during Super Bowl XLVI.

These ads are anticipated all year long and are regarded as the best of the best. And for the $3.5 million price tag that accompanies each 30-second spot, they should be all that and more.

Previews of some ads, including ones from GoDaddy.com and H&M, have been released already, in an effort to create a little extra buzz and anticipation. These ads in particular feature racy images that border on slightly indecent.

Why do so many ads revert back to caveman-like attitudes? And why the Super Bowl, in such a prime time spot?

It dates back to a 1973 Super Bowl ad featuring Joe Namath and Farrah Fawcett for Noxzema. Compared to today's commercials, it's actually pretty tame. Often, advertisers resort to using sexy women and racy images to sell their product. Unfortunately, these types of advertisements are not what all viewers are looking for. Parents who are watching the game with their children wish to avoid awkward silences and conversations to explain what was happening on screen. Can anyone really blame them?

If advertisers want to wring every penny out of their $3.2 million-dollar Super Bowl spot, they'd be better suited to leave the sexy for Victoria's Secret and stick to advertisements that better represent the product they're selling.

1 comment:

  1. After reading your post this morning, Robyn, imagine my surprise to receive an email from GoDaddy.com offering me 30% off my order if I watched their Super Bowl commercials. The coupon code supposedly is revealed at the end of the "Hot, Internet-only" versions of the video clips. Apparently sex not only sells, it also helps you save money.

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