Sex in Advertising Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal

A volume of scholarly research & viewpoints on how sexual appeals function in the current advertising environment. Offers answers as to why the use of sex is so prevalent. For scholars & students in advertising, media studies, mass comm, rhetoric.

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.

Contents: Preface. T. Reichert, J. Lambiase, One Phenomenon, Multiple Lenses: Bridging Perspectives to Examine Sex in Advertising. Part I: Research Approaches to Sex in Advertising. T. Reichert, What Is Sex in Advertising? Perspectives From Consumer Behavior and Social Science Research. J. Sivulka, Historical and Psychological Perspectives of the Erotic Appeal in Advertising. J.E. Schroeder, J.L. Borgerson, Dark Desires: Fetishism, Ontology, and Representation in Contemporary Advertising. Part II: Consumer Responses to Sex in Advertising. M.S. LaTour, T.L. Henthorne, Nudity and Sexual Appeals: Understanding the Arousal Process and Advertisement Response. A. Lang, K. Wise, S. Lee, X. Cai, The Effects of Sexual Appeals on Physiological, Cognitive, Emotional, and Attitudinal Responses for Product and Alcohol Billboard Advertising. C.G. Brooke, Sex(haustion) Sells: Marketing in a Saturated Mediascape. S.J. Gould, Toward a Theory of Advertising Lovemaps in Marketing Communications: Overdetermination, Postmodern Thought, and the Advertising Hermeneutic Circle. Part III: Cultural Impact and Interpretation. J. Kilbourne, Advertising and Disconnection. J.B. Twitchell, Adult and Gender. W.B. Key, Subliminal Sexuality: The Fountainhead for America's Obsession. Part IV: Contexts and Audiences. B.B. Stern, Masculinism(s) and the Male Image: What Does It Mean to Be a Man? G.R. Hicks, Media at the Margins: Homoerotic Appeals to the Gay and Lesbian Community. J. Lambiase, Sex--Online and in Internet Advertising. Part V: Conclusion. J. Lambiase, T. Reichert, Future Questions and Challenges: Advertising Research in the Midst of Sex Noise.

Tom Reichert, Jacqueline Lambiase