The Sexual Tone in Victoria's Secret Marketing - Research Paper Example

SEX IN ADVERTISING Introduction Is sex used extensively in marketing and advertising as a valuable asset? In fact, does advertising work when sex is included in it? In this context, it is interesting to understand as to what constitutes sex, sexiness and desire. The pages of fashion magazines, which publish advertisements of Victoria’s Secret on a regular basis, are filled with sexualized photographs of accessories, lingerie, cosmetics and products for personal care (Max Sutherland, 2008, pg. 15). The sexual tone included in the TV commercials of Victoria’s Secret as well as the ones found in banner ads on the Internet are suggestive enough to hint at the sexual theme used extensively (Mary Ryan, 2005, pg. 82). Persistent questions rose by customers, viewers and critic, leads one to ask if the use of sexuality in advertising really does the trick. Does Sex Sell? Has the use of sex in marketing helped the prospects of Victoria’s Secret? These are some of the questions, which the current essay will help analyze. Consultant’s brief Tom Reichert has used the premise that ‘Sex in advertising does not work’ to conduct a survey that suggested that the ads put forward by the famous Victoria’s Secret were instantly identified and recognizable for their lingerie clad supermodels although there was no evidence to suggest that there was any violence or same sex themes used in the promotional concept (Tom Reichert, 2003, pg. 46). The survey was in response to the criticism that the company has been facing from several sections of the public and the media, wherein allegations have stemmed on every aspect. Critics are of the opinion that Sex is used in Victoria’s Secret’s marketing to grab attention. This has often been termed as ‘borrowed interest’, wherein promoters try to capitalize on the interest garnered by using sex as one of the mediums of communicating their brands (Tom Reichert, 2003, pg. 28). In a much broader sense, it is also argued that while sex may help prevent people from buying it, the trends over the past few years have gone on to show that promoting sexual attraction has been working for the company on the contrary. It has helped the company pull off its sales margins on the basis of a one-time sale, thereby eliminating the need to ponder over sustainable measures to long term commitment on the part of the customer (Tom Reichert, 2003, pg. 20). Aims & Objectives Aim The aim of the proposed study is to study the popular belief and the related controversy that several companies use the medium of sex and lust during their advertising campaigns in a bid to enhance sales. While the reception has been quite encouraging in developing countries, several allegations especially from the conservative parts of the world have alleged that such a use is derogatory towards the interests of the society. Objectives Social activists contest that popularizing lingerie through sex appeal on billboards and TV ads pollutes the minds of children and teenagers thus leading them on to the wrong path. In order to study all these aspects, the study proposed to make use of a thorough strategy aimed at unearthing the scenarios, factors and consequences of using sex in advertising by analyzing it from the perspective of Victoria’s Secret. In doing so, the research will further help establish whether the concept has indeed worked for the company by allowing it to promote sales towards bigger margins. Literature Review Victoria’s secret is a brand name that is synonymous with suggestive advertising that is sexually oriented. The huge public profile and the accompanying large chunks of profits can easily allow anyone to conclude that sex does indeed sell. No matter what polls conclude towards professing that the larger public would like to see lesser sex in advertising, American tendencies and customer preferences throughout a larger part of the developed world have shown that people do not really mean whatever they say. They continue to be dragged and lured by the use of provocative form of marketing and the volume of increasing sales with each financial year clearly points towards their voracious appetite for sexually marketed garments and lingerie (Tim Reichert, 2003, pg. 15). Having known this, many more marketers and advertisers are pursuing towards the limits of public interest towards sexual branding and are driven to extend their reach in this era of competition where the focus is solely intended towards capturing the attention of the customer. History Most of the things noted above have been documented in ‘The Erotic History of Advertising’, a book by Tom Reichert. As demonstrated aptly by him, using sex in advertising is no way near to becoming a fad. The use of the sexual element in advertising can be found earliest during the late part of the 19th century when Duke Cigarettes began to replace baseball cards with cards depicting pictures of scantily clad woman along with the cigarettes (Jacqueline Lambias, 2006, pg. 34). This move encouraged purchasers to buy the entire set as it was possible only then to obtain the accompanying card bearing the picture of the sexy lady. The story is quite similar in the case of Woodbury Soap, which gained the lead in the market during the 1920s by publishing advertisements with images depicting romantic situations along with the tagline that popularized the notion that Woodbury Soap made the woman’s skin irresistible to touch (Barrie Gunter, 2002, pg. 64). The White Own Cigars during the 1930s ha phenomenal success by promoting ads that showed passionate couples locked in sleazy kisses, driving forth the idea that the smell of the person who had smoked the cigar was indeed very pleasant (Herant Katchadourian, 1989, pg. 24). The famous Listerine mouthwash gained its early success in a similar fashion through the use of romantic and sexually fascinating imagery. Victoria’s secret promotes its range of lingerie products through numerous erotic ads, which differ in a number of ways. Some of them are campy; some are elegant in an aesthetic sense, whereas some are homoerotic. This shows that the company has intended to push towards the limits of sexuality and has garnered a taste for doing so with over 3 decades experience in marketing its products. In fact, reichert has not only tracked the use of sex throughout history within advertising, but also points out the various factors that link sex to consumer culture and make it successful. Apart from the use of salacious imagery, which ranges from mild to outright nudity, the emotional impact of sexy ads has had a telling effect on the consumer base of the company. Several strategies have worked and a few of them have not gone its way (James Twitchell, 1997, pg. 78). The differences in responses between the male and female members of the public have highlighted the possible harms involved in using sexuality as a strategic tool in advertising. Several critics have attributed the harm of such a strategy especially on the younger audiences and the virtual establishment of stereotypes towards females (Tim Reichert, 2003, pg. 45). Sex Sells The point can be noted from the immense success of Victoria’s Secret. The use of provocative images to elicit responses of a sexual nature-be it to appeal towards the repressed desires or shock them – will stand to click as long as people find the will and appeal in lust, intimacy, love, sex, attraction and romance. Sex has always invoked an emotional response that s related to the survival of our human species (Laura Ingraham, 2007, pg. 86). We cannot help ourselves by refraining to this instinct, which attracts us by emotionally binding us with the perceptual fields by rising above environmental barriers to evoke our attention. By appealing directly to sexual emotions of consumers, the advertisers of Victoria’s Secret have shown how their products help meet all such desires. Victoria’s Secret has thus crafted a sexually sophisticated image which is evident from the fact that most women want to be associated with that image, either for pleasure or for other reasons, and are willing to pay for such a benefit. A glance at any of the ads from Victoria’s Secret leads us inevitably to images of women dressed scantily, which are supposed to attract and motivate us to purchase those products being endorsed (David Ogilvy, 2001, pg. 105). No doubt that this attention-seeking policy built upon sex is popular especially among women. But has it been effective in the long run? The use of Sex Appeal is known to enhance the effectiveness of an ad campaign simply because it draws the immediate attention of the customer. It is within our innate nature to be curious about and drawn towards sex. A pair of long legs perched on a huge billboard is sure to catch a guy’s attention, and in this sense, many men are also desirous of purchasing the products of Victoria’s Secret with the single intention of viewing their wives and girlfriends in similar outfits. As such, people view the advertisements of Victoria’s Secret as a means to improve enjoying their intimate moments in the best possible way. The sight of legs looking as though belonging to a goddess are also successful in drawing women to their fold, as women are instantly wanting to try out and see themselves in a similar sexy position (Betty Friedan, 2004, pg. 95). In a certain way, the boost provided by the openness of the sexual revolution is partly the reason behind the company’s success in redefining America’s notion of lingerie during the early 1980s. In spite of the secrecy promised during those initial years, the replacement of women’s stores which looked more or less like departmental outlets into a serene and luxurious outlet has worked wonders in recreating the nineteenth century boudoir. At the same time, the company has built its image on the foundations of a fairly conservative and middle class shopper to avoid any significant allegations of sleaziness that the chain may be associated with (Kathryn Wiebel, 2003, pg. 28). Some critics have even argued over the design of the company’s stores and its promotional campaigns, and have noted that Victoria’s Secret has come to the aid of women of all ages, shapes and sizes, thereby helping instill the feeling that sensuality and sexual confidence is not limited to celebrities and models alone. The path towards growth From the opening of a single outlet way back in 1877, Roy Raymond, the founder of Victoria’s secret has managed to expand it into a conglomerate of over 900 stores, with annual turnover of $12 billion from the lingerie market alone. In the course of expansion to the household name that it is in the present day, Victoria’s secret has succeeded in helping women transform from the plain white cotton bra to the fancy, frilly and glamorous range of undergarments. It is also true in this context that men prefer to buy them all along for their wives and girlfriends especially during special occasions such as birthdays, Valentine ’s Day, marriage anniversary etc (Bernice Kaner, 2004, pg. 154). although Victoria’s Secret was started to cater to male buyers, the subsequent sale to Leslie Wexner in 1982, the company shifted its strategy to concentrate predominantly on associating the brand, its products and the idea behind feminine sexuality, beauty and glamour. It chose to elevate itself from a mere seller of undergarments to become a power to reckon with. In fact, 90% of Victoria’s Secret’s products are purchased by its female clientele. In one instance, the company even acknowledged that it has intended to provide the opportunity to women to experience the wonderful of being sexy and adorable and enjoy the pleasures and warmth of romance (Paul Rutherford, 2007, pg. 55). Victoria’s Secret has been able to steer potential customers through a mysterious realm comprising seductive images by way of its catalogues, where the facial expressions of all female models could be anything except directed at other females. This does not, however, discount the use of lesbian attraction within those same pages. The models used are shown to be cool and smiling, with lips parted slightly but nevertheless not being close enough to be perceived as smiling openly. The looks and the poses may be described as pensive, sultry, confident, seductive, indifferent, teasing, private, intimidating and dreamy (John Hood, 2005, pg. 30). The sheer volume of these various descriptors is enough to suggest the sexual ambiguity in these poses, but they all convey the message clearly of intending to capture every aspect of male admiration. The allure to the unseen male viewer is enhanced by the fact that models almost always appear alone, thus allowing them to confine within a private space with borders and lines that isolate her. The sexy model adorning the wonderful piece of lingerie is anonymous as even her name, location and professional accomplishments being undisclosed (Max Sutherland, 2008, pg. 120). As such, she is a total possibility. To achieve its aim of attracting women customers, the company has had to evolve in a constant manner, which it does by making use of new patterns, colors and styles. However, the single thing that is common in every case and every product launch is the maintenance of the sexual aspect both to the product as well as its accompanying brand campaign. The brand has created an upscale image, but has ensured that it avoids being perceived as ‘raunchy’ in a sexual way (Joe Marconi, 2005, pg. 14). In the present case, the company is concentrating on de-emphasizing the bordello elements in its décor with a hope to appeal to women of all ages ranging from teenagers to mothers and even to grandmothers. In other words, Victoria’s Secret’s success mantra during the preceding decade has been to come out of the pink wallpaper and use a much more paler version as part of its marketing efforts. Critique Most of the problems posed by the use of sex appeal in advertising stem from using marketing communications as a strategy that serves a particular sector (Namely the male) at the expense of the other sector (i.e., the female). Due to its inherent power in being an effective tool, marketers could do much to give credence to the offended sector, which is at a disadvantage. However, the primary aim of marketers has always been to grab attention, which serves as the primary objective of advertising. If adding sex appeal to advertising leads to the achievement of these element alone then campaigns based on related themes will not seem prudent to those, who look to go beyond the purpose of grabbing attention through advertising (Mary Ryan, 2005, pg. 27). Sex appeal in advertising can become a lesser contested ethical debate discussed across gender barriers if the feminine form is merely used with the intention to grab attention. Beyond this standpoint, moving ahead towards using the woman’s form will project an exploitation of women and prove discriminatory against them. Women and those who oppose the inclusion of sex appeal in advertising should also bear in mind that their represented mentality is not universally applicable even when looked through the female sector alone. The instance of Victoria’s Secret is enough to defy this logic as these brands are based primarily on sexually oriented themes, whose primary target audience is women (Barrie Gunter, 2002, pg. 40). In contrast to those opposed to advertising through sex appeal, a vast section of women are known to associate with such a form of advertising. The regulatory bodies that oversee advertising should act as the clearing houses for ads that are found guilty of exploiting women. In this scenario, such regulatory bodies should maintain a certain amount of oversight and policing to constantly monitor the traffic of ads. However, such agencies will not act as a form of moral police as ads do not represent a moral issue. However, within their jurisdiction as regulatory agencies, it is quite within their purview to block and restrict any material that is deemed socially offensive. This can also conclude that such regulatory bodies must not include members from the advertising industry as well as moral outfits to maintain the neutrality of their jurisdiction and decision making processes (Herant Katchadourian, 1989, pg. 59). People from the general public as well as those well known for their non-partisan attitudes should be given preference when constituting such bodies. People who oppose sex appeal through advertising should also be encouraged to rethink their stance and revamp their understanding of the issue. They must understand that sex appeal becomes an issue for ethical and public debate only when the matter of gender insensitivity and prurience come to the fore. However, a blanket opposition to sex appeal will not help in any way against their cause and in the process; much of the effort will be wasted in the weight of the noise and complaints generated (Kathryn Wiebel, 2003, pg. 68). Finally, the largest stakeholders within the issue of advertising through sex appeal are is the target market itself. Since advertising exists to sell a product to them, the onus is on the members from the market to remind the advertisers on what is within and outside the bounds of marketing in terms of sensibility, acceptability, taste, gender sensitivity and ethical acceptance (Mary Ryan, 2005, pg. 16). The opposing group may well be the loudest voice, and perhaps the influential element in regulating the progress of sex appeal advertising. Research Methodology Research Philisophy The research study is perceived to be one that would require a thorough analysis along several fronts in order to answer some of the most important questions in the context of the proposed topic, many of which have been highlighted in the preceding paragraphs. It is well understood that in studying Victoria’s Secret, it would have to be necessary to analyze the market and advertising strategies of the company both from a sociological as well as a managerial and marketing perspective. In doing so, it is believed that apart from undertaking social research, it would also be essential to obtain and analyze statistical data of the company’s sales figures and compare them with the performances and marketing strategies undertaken by its competitors. Such an approach along with the evaluation of the use of sex in the advertising efforts of the competitors would help compare the topic across all dimensions. Data Collection The data and information required to perform the proposed study can be sourced from several fronts. Firstly, extensive material including books on marketing, magazines and journals, some of them dealing specifically with fashion and lingerie contain adequate information that can be used for the study. Aside these secondary sources of information, it is also believed that in order to gain the sociological understanding required for this research, it would be necessary to involve, interact and garner first hand information from both people involved in the marketing and managerial functioning of Victoria’s secret, its competitors as well as key people who are known to oppose the use of sex in marketing especially within the lingerie market. This form of primary research shall be performed through requisite interviews and surveys, which will make use of well defined, structured and easy-to-answer questionnaires. Using the primary and secondary approach, it is believed that the research effort will be in a strong position to make strong inferences from the trends and perceptions observed. Data Analysis The collected information shall be collected, grouped and categorized according to the subject area within marketing and advertising as per a pre defined scheme. Apart from this, trend based data will be obtained by using numerical information which has been obtained from the sources defined above. All numerical information will be used to perform statistical analysis on estimated such as sales before and after including sex in ads etc. besides, the responses obtained from key people will be compared against standard and relevant theories to obtain the required conclusions. By specifying the established theories on which the conclusions have been made, the study will help towards establishing the validity and reliability of the research. References 1. Tom Reichert (2003), Sex in advertising: perspectives on the erotic appeal. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. 2. Jacqueline Lambiase (2006), Sex in consumer culture: the erotic content of media and marketing. London: Routledge. 3. Barrie Gunter (2002), Media sex: what are the issues?. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. 4. Herant Katchadourian (1989), Fundamentals of human sexuality. London: Holt, Rinehart and winston. 5. James Twitchell (1997), Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. Columbia University Press. 6. Laura Ingraham (2007), Power to the People. Boston: regnery. 7. David Ogilvy (2001), Ogilvy on advertising. London: Vintage. 8. Betty Friedan (2004), The feminine mystique. London: Penguin. 9. Kathryn Wiebel (2003), Mirror, Mirror: Images of Women Reflected in Popular Culture. University of Virginia. 10. Mary Ryan (2005), Womanhood in America, from colonial times to the present. University of Virginia. 11. Bernice Kaner (2004), The Super Bowl of advertising: how the commercials won the game. New York: Bloomberg. 12. Paul Rutherford (2007), A world made sexy: Freud to Madonna. University of Toronto Press. 13. John Hood (2005), Selling the dream: why advertising is good business. London: Greenwood. 14. Max Sutherland (2008), Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer: What Works, What Doesn't and Why. London: Allen & Unwin. 15. Joe Marconi (2005), The brand marketing book: creating, managing, and extending the value of your brand. New York: McGraw Hill. Read More