ABSTRACT

Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal is the first book to thoroughly tackle important issues about sex in advertising. What is it? Does it work? How does it affect individuals and society? Well-respected scholars and popular writers answer these questions as they address the following issues associated with sex in today's advertising environment: gender differences and representation, unintended social effects, subliminal embeds, appeals to the homosexual community, and new media. The book contains a blend of perspectives, including original experimental studies, interpretive and historical analyses, and cultural critiques.

The definitive source on sex in advertising, this book:
*is centralized around a singular theme: Understanding how sex in advertising appeals work and why they are so prevalent;
*includes multiple perspectives to capture the richness of sexual appeals;
*brings together viewpoints from both well-known scholars and writers;
*provides a wealth of ideas and research questions for those interested in the topic; and
*contains discussions of sex in advertising from its roots in the 1700s to online advertising today and beyond.

The book is must reading for advertising and gender researchers, scholars, and students. Anyone interested in mass media, consumer psychology, and popular culture will find this book an essential resource.

chapter 1|8 pages

One Phenomenon, Multiple Lenses

Bridging Perspectives to Examine Sex in Advertising

part I|79 pages

Research Approaches to Sex in Advertising

part II|82 pages

Consumer Responses to Sex in Advertising

chapter 5|16 pages

Nudity and Sexual Appeals

Understanding the Arousal Process and Advertising Response

chapter 7|18 pages

Sex(haustion) Sells

Marketing in a Saturated Mediascape

chapter 8|20 pages

Toward a Theory of Advertising Lovemaps in Marketing Communications

Overdetermination, Postmodern Thought and the Advertising Hermeneutic Circle

part III|42 pages

Cultural Impact and Interpretation

chapter 9|8 pages

Advertising and Disconnection1

chapter 10|13 pages

Adcult and Gender1

chapter 11|18 pages

Subliminal Sexuality

The Fountainhead for America's Obsession 1

part IV|57 pages

Contexts and Audiences

chapter 12|14 pages

Masculinism(s) and the Male Image

What Does It Mean To Be a Man?

chapter 13|18 pages

Media at the Margins

Homoerotic Appeals to the Gay and Lesbian Community

part V|8 pages

Conclusion

chapter 15|6 pages

Future Questions and Challenges

Advertising Research in the Midst of Sex Noise