Is sex a laughing matter? - an intercultural perspective on advertising

Abstract

How acceptable is the use of sex and nudity in advertising in different cultures? According to Reichert (2008), sex sells, yet a number of factors influence the success:
• The degree of nudity and sexual imagery.
• When does sexy cross the line to become sexist and immoral?
• Do sexy images become more acceptable if humour is added to the mix?
Sex /nudity or humour has been the base of advertising campaigns for a long time. This paper addresses the influence that humour and ethnic background can have on the acceptance of advertisements using sexual appeal.. Participants from China, France, Germany and Spain were shown humorous and non-humorous ads from 7 countries which used sex appeal as a selling point. Focus group discussions showed that there were clear differences between levels of acceptance, reflecting the relevant masculine or feminine culture. The combination of sex, humour and ethnic background has not previously been the subject of research in a national or intercultural context. This paper is a first step to address this gap.