Tom Reichert - The Erotic History of Advertising

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

irst, I extend my sincere appreciation to America's advertisers for providing me with an interesting topic. My goal was to describe and make sense of the patterns and examples of sexual content in marketing over the last 150-plus years-not to criticize. It's too easy for commentators sitting offstage to sermonize and harangue, while you are in the spotlight for all the world to see. You're the ones taking the risks as you fight to survive in a fast-changing and increasingly competitive marketplace. I also want to thank the many advertisers-both brands and agencies-for granting permission to reprint their ads. The ads contribute much to the value of the book, and help to illustrate relevant points much better than my words.

Second, I want to thank the people who've contributed to making this project a reality. I want to thank my agent, Edward Knappman, and all those at New England Publishing Associates. They saw promise in this project and put me in touch with the perfect publisher. I'm sincerely indebted to my editor at Prometheus Books, Linda Regan, who also saw the potential of this book and has helped me to express my ideas as cogently and thoughtfully as possible. I want to thank others at Prometheus such as Jackie Cooke and Christine Kramer for making these ads look spectacular and keeping the 100-plus images in order. Without you all, this project would not have been possible.

No person is an island, and the following have helped with this project either directly, indirectly, or both. To my wife, Jill, and to my mother and grandmother Beverly and Christamae-my biggest supporters. To my family. To my dear friend Jacque Lambiase for telling me I was crazy for embarking on this project. Jacque has influenced so much of my thinking with regard to sex in advertising that she haunts many pages in this book ("sex-tinged" is her word). Other close friends and research associates include: Art Ramirez, Susan Morgan, Mike LaTour, Steve Gould, Eusebio Alvaro, Kevin Maly, Kay Colley, and Susan Zavoina.

Many others helped with research and support. At the University of Alabama, I wish to thank my colleagues in the Advertising and Public Relations Department for their support, specifically to Karla Gower, David Sloan, Jeremy Butler, Mike Little, Matt Bunker, Bill Gonzenbach, and the ladies in the office Jade and Cheryl. Sincere indebtedness is in store for student researchers Ignatius Fosu, Lei Chen, Aimee Edison, Beth Dolin, Christen Lewis, Saskia Badgewell, Eric Sims, Ben Grover, and Trent Warsham. Their assistance pulling articles and thinking and writing about advertising strategy provided invaluable background research for this book.

Susan Strange at Smithsonian's National History Museum was extremely helpful, as were Jacqueline Reid and Ellen Gartrell at the J. Walter Thompson archives at Duke University. And to all those along the way: Hank Kenski, Harvey and Sandy Asher, SallyJackson, Susan Heckler, Michael Durney, Lisa Delaney, Chris Puto, David Williams, Walid Afifi, Bill Key, Kay Colley, Paul Brothers, and Dale Brashers.

undertook this project to better understand if and how sex in advertising works. While conducting research for The Erotic History of Advertising, I examined hundreds of instances in which companies have used-and continue to use-sex to promote their products. My conclusion? Not surprisingly, they weren't wasting their money. It's clear that sex in advertising works. Not always, but sex has generated sales and saved companies from the brink of bankruptcy.

Despite its effectiveness, I discovered that only a few sources have seriously considered whether sex can sell or not. As I reviewed articles written about sex in advertising and spoke with advertising professionals in New York, Dallas, and Atlanta, it became clear that sex in advertising is typically dismissed as amateurish and sophomoric: a desperate-not to mention ineffective-attempt to rescue plummeting sales. On the other hand, many real-life examples from the 1800s to the present exist to suggest that it has worked, and does work, to inflame not only consumers' libidos but their motivations and desires to make purchases. In some cases, sex in advertising contributes to the building of strong, vibrant, and long-lasting brands. As such, it's my hope that this book can make a sizable contribution to the seemingly discordant dialogue about sex in advertising.