Sex functionality has always been one of the advertising tools in the commercial world (Dines and Humez, 2003, p. 250). It has been constantly use as a representative means for products selling. According to Falk and Falk (2005, p. 127), the utilization of sex appeal in product trade tend to be common not only in the western country, but throughout the world. As such, the world of advertising has become immensely competitive (Nolan, 2008, p. 118). Hence, as the rivalry turn more and more challenging, the use of attention grabbing elements is needed. In this sense, the use of sex appeal or feminism element comes into the play in the business world of perfume.
Based on the Daily Life article (2011) by Oakes, Madonna’s first fragrance ‘Truth of Dare’ has intrinsically brought up the issue concerning the undue use of sexuality art in the perfume trade. In the article, Oakes apprises that women often appear in the perfume advertisement in undress scene, pre-orgasmic voice, and with the position of one being abuse. As said by Caro (Daily Life, 2012), one of the easiest way for the marketers to grab hold of the public’s attention is by the use of soft porn.
In my perspective, the reason why advertising company uses feminism images as perfume advertisement is mainly to create awareness among target audience about the brand itself. Referring to Professor Tom Reichert (O’Guinn Allen & Semenik, 2011, p. 350), it is a wisdom choice if an advertising company uses sex approach to deliver its messages to its audiences, as it is an effective method to distribute its brand’s repute within a short period of time. Based on a research done by the University of Georgia, the use of sex-appeal in any business can be extremely effective in creating a better remembrance on a product (O’Guinn Allen & Semenik, 2011, p. 350).
Nonetheless, there are many possibilities to explicitly explain the use of sex appeal in delivering a perfume advertisement. In consequence, one of the reasons would definitely due to advertising tactic to delineate the use of sex appeal by Madonna or any other celebrities for perfume advertisement.
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References:
Dines, G & Humez, JM 2003, Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text Reader, 2nd edn, SAGE Publication, United States of America.
Falk, G & Falk, UA 2005, Youth Culture And the Generation Gap, Algora Publishing, United States of America.
Nolan, P 2008, Capitalism and Freedom: The Contradictory Character of Globalisation, Anthem Press, United Kingdom.
Oakes, S 2012, ‘The highly sexual art of selling perfume’, Daily Life, 21 May, viewed 11 June 2012, <http://www.dailylife.com.au/dl-beauty/the-highly-sexual-art-of-selling-perfume-20120518-1yvd4.html>.
O’Guinn, T, C & Allen, C, T & Semenik, R, J 2011, Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion, Cengage Learning, United States of America.
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