Many companies have different sets of marketing campaigns to increase businesses.  Lately, there is a specific strategy that many commercials have in common. This strategy is the use of opposite sex attraction. Many of the companies that choose to use this tactic are fragrance and deodorant companies such as Axe, D&G, Gucci, and Emporior Armani. Here are some examples of television commercials and hardcopy advertisements that use sexuality/opposite-sex-attraction:

Emporio Armani Diamonds Ad

Gucci Guilty Ad

Calvin Klein Encounter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TcbIZg1HR0

Recently, the use of sexuality in advertisements is very common; and as seen, almost all products that promote pleasant odor/scent apply this marketing approach. Compared to advertisements from few years back and advertisements from Dove, is the trend of manipulating sexuality in advertisements ethical? This has been talked about by a lot of people, who were born in the 1940s-1960s, today. Take a look at the following print advertisements from 1970 & 1980 fragrance companies and digital advertisement from Dove:

A 1970 perfume ad

A 1980 Cologne Ad

It is obvious that to adults who were exposed to less sexuality involved advertisements since young will think that the “new” marketing tactic is unethical. Conversely, to my generation and many later generations that are/will be exposed to more sexuality involved advertisements from a young age can/will take this marketing approach in a more accepting manner.

Aside from that, fragrance companies always claim that their product will make the wearer irresistible to opposite sex (as seen in the first batch of advertisement examples). But do the perfumes/colognes actually help wearer attract others? This kind of claim makes the use of the sexuality tactic in advertisements unethical. Although the strategy may be acceptable in current generations, this marketing strategy is still considered unethical due to unrealistic claims.

Pictures/Information From:

http://toriaheath.gdnm.org/files/2012/01/evan-rachel-wood-gucci-guilty-fragrance-ad.jpg

http://www.designscene.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Mathias-Lauridsen-for-Emporio-Armani-Diamonds-For-Men-Fragrance-01.jpg

http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/53211-see-alexander-skarsgards-steamy-calvin-klein-fragrance-ad/1339175470_alexander-skarsgard-zoom.jpg

http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/l-yzcjpwqzu76shb.jpg

http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/l-pbbpxzbfu9tfll.jpg