There are plenty of marketing experts who believe sex sells in a marketing campaign or advertisement. Why? Because there are plenty of consumers who buy into it. Of course, using sex in marketing is one of the oldest tricks in the book, especially when you consider that sex has been used as a marketing ploy as far back as the Greek and Roman empires. Television networks certainly use sex to promote their shows. For some companies, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

We’re not suggesting any companies, small businesses or entrepreneurs use sex in their marketing. We’ll leave that up to your discretion. But we will show you a few recent examples of how some companies (many of them you will be familiar with) have used sex or sexual innuendos in their marketing and advertising to attract attention.

Reebok “Better Butt” TV Spot

Athletic shoe and clothing company Reebok has a television commercial playing that talks about a pair of Easy Tone shoes - although this is hard to deduce after watching the spot that’s filled with sex in marketing. This is because the messaging and camera work are blatantly trying to get your mind on something else. What’s interesting to note here is that Reebok is no longer trying to be smug about the “sex sells” theme in this ad. In fact, they want to make sure all you do is stare at some young woman’s behind (notice how the cameraman actually tries to focus on the shoes but just can’t resist on getting back to the butt). What do you think? Clever marketing, or another case of sex in advertising “rear” ing its ugly head? Take a look:

Burger King “Singing In The Shower” Campaign

If I told you hamburger-broiling corporation Burger King built a social media campaign around an almost-naked young woman singing in the shower, would you really be that surprised? We didn’t think so. You be the judge. Here’s another one of Burger King’s television spots using sex to sell a chicken sandwich. Funny how you don’t even see a “product” until later in the spot:

Carl’s Jr. Ultimate Salad Lunch Date with Kim Kardashian

Another fast-food hamburger chain has jumped into the sex in marketing fray. Carl’s Jr., based in Southern California, has launched a campaign that invites people to enter to win a lunch date with attractive celebrity Kim Kardashian.

What’s interesting in this campaign is that you can enter to win, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will actually meet and have a salad lunch date with Kim Kardashian. See, winners will only get to chat with Ms. Kardashian via Web cam. What’s also interesting here is that Carl’s Jr. is not pushing a hamburger, an item it’s known for, but rather a salad. Kind of reminds us of KFC trying to shed the “fried” in its image a little bit (tho we’re not sure if they ever used sex to shed that image).

Naturally, many of these types of television commercials have upset women’s groups and have certainly brought into question the effectiveness of using sex in marketing to sell a hamburger, chicken sandwich or salad.

One would argue its effectiveness of getting attention, but on the other hand, unless you’re blogging about it are you truly going to remember the actual product the company was actually pushing? Check out the Carl’s Jr. television spot here (btw, how many people eat a salad on their bed using their fingers?):

Creating Discussion

Welcome or not what these sex in marketing kinds of ads have a tendency to do is stir up a little controversy and create discussion. The companies behind these ads will often say they don’t mind a little controversy because they most likely feel the ensuing debates won’t detract from their core audience from making a purchase. In other words, Carl’s Jr. being talked about on Bill O’Reilly (see below) won’t translate to fewer 17-year-old customers from salivating over the product on television - the burger, too. Oh by the way they’ll still get plenty of people to sign up for their lunch date campaign despite being on The O’Reilly Factor.

Quiznos Toasty Torpedo

Here’s one more example of a television spot that aired earlier in the year. This is a good example of using sexual innuendo in a commercial rather than attractive young females. In the below spot you’ll want to pay attention to the word choice and mannerisms used by both the Quiznos employee and the talking oven:

As a small business owner or entrepreneur the choice is completely up to you. We’re not saying you should or should not use sex in marketing and television advertisements. Only you can make that call. What’s interesting in these examples is that these are all companies that have well-known and established brands. A little controversy may not affect them in a large way. For you it may be different. A small business is a little more vulnerable to what a little controversy may bring, especially if your audience is mostly local. The last thing you want is to create a scenario in which angry people picket outside your store.

What do you think about these ads? Do they cross the line or are they clever ways of reaching their target audience? Please leave comments!