UA Professor Explores the Erotic History of Advertising Through New Book

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Many people consider sex in advertising and the use of sexy words and images in selling messages a recent phenomenon. Many think that Calvin Klein, Guess and Victoria’s Secret set the bar for provocative nudity and sexual fare. The truth is, though, that as far back as the 1890s, images of the female form in various stages of undress were used to sell everything from corsets and cigarettes to industrial manufacturing.

“Despite polls indicating that the public would like to see less sex in advertising, Americans don’t mean what they say,” said Dr. Tom Reichert, author and professor of advertising at The University of Alabama. “They continue to respond to the lure of provocative marketing and, most important to business, they buy.”

Knowing this, more and more advertisers are testing the limits of public taste. Reichert’s recently published book “The Erotic History of Advertising” (Prometheus, June 2003) explores how American marketers and advertisers have used sex to sell their brands since the early days of advertising. The book catalogs some of the most sexual and controversial advertising campaigns of all time, quarter century by quarter century.

The book begins by describing how images of naked women adorned ads for tobacco in the 1800s; continues with how the need for admiration and intimacy was emphasized to sell soap and lotions to ladies in the 1920s; and moves on to how romance and titillation were used in campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s for brands such as Noxzema, De Beers, Maidenform and Miss Clairol.

After that, more than half of the book is allocated to descriptions of sex in recent campaigns for soft drinks, alcohol, intimates, designer clothing, fragrances and most recently, condoms, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and public service announcements.

Find out more about Cindy Crawford and Britney Spears starring in Pepsi ads, the Taster’s Choice romantic serial, Lucky Vanous in Diet Coke ads, as well as campaigns for Stroh’s, Gucci, Vassarette, Candie’s, Durex, Christian Dior, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger and many more.

“The book goes beyond discussion of advertising campaigns to touch on the important issues surrounding sex in advertising,” Reichert said. “One question raised throughout the book is, ‘Does sex sell?’ It’s clear not all ads that utilize busty blondes and innuendo are successful, but the book contains a wealth of examples of successful campaigns featuring scantily clad models in romantic escapades. Some of the ads fell flat, but many more resonated with the intended consumers and ultimately made their companies a lot of money.”

“The Erotic History of Advertising” uses numerous illustrations that show many erotic ads — some campy, some esthetically elegant, some homoerotic — that have pushed the boundaries of sexuality and taste for more than a century of product marketing. Reichert not only tracks the history of sex in advertising, but also explores the many factors that make the link between sex and our consumer culture so successful.

Among other things he considers the range of salacious imagery, from mildly suggestive to the use of outright nudity; the emotional impact of sexy ads; the influence of sex on brand recognition; what works and what doesn’t; the differences between male and female responses; and the possible harms of using sex in advertising, especially in regard to young audiences and the perpetuation of female stereotypes.

Reichert’s sex in advertising topic isn’t one that usually is discussed openly. However, that hasn’t stopped the College of Communication and Information Sciences professor from pursuing the topic. For more than 10 years he has been on a quest to understand exactly what sex in advertising “is” and how it works.

As a result of research that began during his graduate studies, his dissertation was published in the “Journal of Advertising” and he’s authored the “Sex in Advertising” entry for “Adweek’s Encyclopedia of Advertising.” This book was possible after countless surveys and experiments and travel to the Library of Congress, advertising archives at Duke University and Smithsonian’s National History Museum.

The College of Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama is among the largest and most prestigious communication colleges in the nation. Graduating more than 12,000 students, C&IS is consistently ranked among the top 10 in number of doctoral degrees awarded and in many of its research programs. C&IS graduates have won four of the six Pulitzer Prizes awarded to University of Alabama alumni, and the forensics and debate squad, housed within the College, has garnered 14 national championships.