Sex is Easy but Doesn't Build a Brand

 What is the purpose of advertising? You would think the answer is clear. But too many company leaders are obviously confused.

In my opinion, the purpose of advertising is to reinforce a brand's position in the mind. That position should be meaningful, memorable and motivating.

Today, advertising isn't an easy. There is too much of it and too many consumers will do almost anything to avoid it. In this inhospitable advertising environment, many advertisers  focus almost exclusively just on getting the attention of consumers by any means possible.

We all know that PR is a very good way to get attention. PR is also very good at brand building. It builds credibility, awareness and word of mouth.

You can see the wheels turning the in boardroom now.

All we need to do "is make our advertising so shocking that consumers will be outraged, the networks will censor us and the media will cover us." Instant PR and brand awareness! And what is more shocking than sex? Nothing. It is perfect formula, right?

Wrong. While this sounds like the current strategy for Paris Hilton, it is also sadly the strategy for an airline, a web registrar, and an animal rights group.

 

Sex is indeed very good at getting attention. Sex is also very good at getting you censored and creating controversy. And controversy is very good at getting PR.

But that kind of controversy is not a good strategy for building a brand.

Sexually-provocative advertisements does make sense for some categories. For example: beer, perfume and lingerie. But too many advertisers use sex for its shock value and nothing else.

In these tough economic times with ever-rising advertising costs, it is understandable that companies are looking for ways to cut corners, trim costs and get attention for their brands.

But in the long run these types of stunts simply aren’t worth it. The controversy created risks alienating your customers, your employees and your shareholders alike.

 

Look at recent ads by Spirit Airlines. They run “Threesome” sales and “Cheap and Easy and Nothing to Hide” sales. They invite customers to enjoy DD’s (deep discounts) and the worst “MILF.” If you have seen American Pie, you know what I mean, it describes a "mother I'd like to f***." Can you believe they are using this acronym to sell seats to the Caribbean?

Not to mention, demeaning flight attendants is a low blow in an industry that has fought for years to remind consumers that the attendants are there for “your safety” and not “your fantasy.” Of course, this is why Spirit Air’s antics have gotten so much attention.

 

The idea isn’t new; it was recently tried by Hooters Air. A few guys got excited, but in the end, Hooters couldn’t stay airborne. What works in running a bar selling beer, wings and booze turns out to be different from what works in running an airline.

A company’s brand message is not just a tool to attract consumers, it is also an essential and important internal tool to rally and unite the team. Employees who know their mission do better work. Whether it is safety at Volvo or driving at BMW or change with Obama. Your brand strategy and your advertising messages should be should be clear and central to the brand. Obama girl would not have made a good general theme for the campaign. In fact, she hurt more than helped Obama.

Having an offensive ad strategy might get you attention, might even get you some customers but it also might offend your employees and stockholders. Something not to be taken lightly.

For years flight attendants have had to deal with drunk, obnoxious men hitting on them and worse. Now Spirit Air is practically promoting it.

More than most industries, the airline industry needs the support and service of its female employees and its female customers. Without that support they will crash and burn.

When will management understand this truism? Marketing is not just about getting consumers to watch your ads or generating any kind of PR for your brand.

Marketing is about creating a powerful brand message that resonates with consumers. All consumers, not just a handful of horny men. Marketing is about getting PR not on the shamefulness of your ads but on the power of your ideas.

One part sex, two parts exploitation may get your brand in the news but it won’t build your brand in the mind.

When you get hooked on sex, you tend to forget about your brand message. You become consumed with being racy enough to keep yourself in the news.

This is exactly what has happened at GoDaddy, the web’s largest registrar with nearly three times the number of sites as its closest competitor. But GoDaddy continues to push sex instead of pushing websites. Their advertising is terrible. Where is the message? A leader has the leverage to get a word in the mind. GoDaddy is wasting this chance.

Sooner or later, a competitor will come along with a meaningful message and take GoDaddy’s leadership position away from it.

Marketing should be meaningful; it should build a brand in the mind. Getting people to talk about sex is easy but cheap.

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Comments

[Nintendo Wii Console]

Too many marketers rely on sex to sell their brands these days. They succumb to the smut that is rapant in our society. There are other ways to make a brand appealing.

[Paul MacArthur]

When I was an undergrad, back in the mid-'80s, I remember reading a journal article about sex in advertising.

The basic finding of the article was that sex in advertising works ONLY if the product is associated with sex.

Cars, booze, perfume yes, sex can work.

Washing machines, irons, hamburgers, not so much.

That article is more than 20 years old (sorry can't cite it off the top of my head) and people in the industry still ignore it.

[Jeff Baas - Business Starting Tips]

Excellent points. Selling with sex usually only dilutes your message and usually is counterproductive.

I'll disagree with you on GoDaddy, though. I consider their ads utterly tasteless and repulsive. As a matter of fact, I transferred my last few domains from this last year because I so disliked their fratboy image.

Yet I came across some stats just before the Super Bowl this year that showed that they have essentially built their business strictly off of their Super Bowl ads.

The stats showed a major spike in domain sales in the week following the Super Bowl. Those spikes built their marketshare step-style to rise from small potatoes to a major player in the industry.

Basically, they have built their business with an appeal that goes like this, "Hey, if you're a horny guy and you're thinking about starting a website, see us for your domain name. Who cares whether we're any good at what we do. We appreciate hot chicks, just like you do."

That appeal has worked for them. It has turned off some customers, like me. But they've made it work. I've got to think, though, that success stories like theirs are pretty rare.

[Gustavo Mendes]

“Refreshing” post on the theme.

It is not only because we get attention that we get a space inside the prospect mind! To get the mind, be meaningful. Sex, as humour, grab people… but if it isn’t attached to something that is significant to people, they will, with great probability, forget.

Sex catches the eyes (and eventually the hears), but not the mind ☺

[Cuddles Healing bear]

Good thinking to interact with your audience Laura, shows you are real and personable, instead of distant and recluse.

Companies need to form or borrow a culture and build an experience around the brand, instead of making the brand shine as the star, customers experiencing a differentiating culture using the brand needs to be in the spotlight, such as with:

Starbucks
Ipod
Harley Davidson

Upcoming positioned brands with mild PR:

True Religion Jeans- (the BMW and Pepsi generation of jeans)

Potbelly Sandwiches

Thanks for letting me share Laura.

PS I positioned one of my ventures and repostioned the competition providing an experience for a differentiating culture on my blog at cuddleshealingbear.blogspot.com

[Jay Godse]

Great article Laura. Marketers need to think carefully if they want racy associated with their brand. Unintended consequences may follow.

Having said that, not all advertising is for brand awareness. A large number of businesses, especially small businesses, use advertising to drive sales. Do you think that using such racy ads is just as ineffective for them? Or is it ineffective for different reasons? Or is it effective?

[Greg Gillispie]

These days, capture people's attention, but follow it up with a powerful statement about the product...

Some could see the picture of this article's author and feel as those she is sexy and sells the points.

[Chris Houchens]

I wrote a post similar to this one earlier this month (dealing with Peta selling sex) http://shotgunconcepts.com/2009/02/rubbing-pelvic-region-with-pumpkin/ and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work in the long term. After awhile of using these tactics, you become a paraody and then people stop paying attention to you at all

[Noelle]

Great post, Laura. The GoDaddy ads were such a turnoff - their ads haven't bothered me in years past but I share the "grow up" sentiment. I'm planning on registering domains elsewhere from here on out.

[Laura Ries]

I think the Axe ads work great for two reasons. They are selling perfume and we all know the purpose of wearing perfume is to attract mates (for sex.)

Second, the market for Axe is exclusively males 14-24. Your Dad is not going to wear Axe, he probably doesn't even know what it is. Edgy, sexy humor works for them because the target is so narrow.

The problem with GoDaddy everything is the opposite. The target is not young boys and the product has nothing to do with sex. Selling web registrations to everybody is very unsexy indeed. Trying to make it so is silly.

[Bob Gilbreath]

I think the Go Daddy ads are horrible and generally agree that sexploitation is a losing way to build a brand. But on your comment that "marketing must be meaningful" - a concept we are driving at www.marketingwithmeaning.com - what about the people who find sexy marketing compelling? Is Axe's award-winning work, for example, "meaningful-sexy "or "cheap-sexy".

[Martin Bishop]

I wonder if this will be your most read post ever? Worth tracking.