Manipulating sexuality

"There are basically two female stereotypes in advertising; the domestic type and the beauty. … The two types rarely combine. The beauty is highly glamorized, sensuously dressed and posed to emphasize the contours of her body. Her face will most often be turned towards us, her eyes looking provocatively at us, or sometimes turned away with a look of intense pleasure. Ads intended for male markets commonly offer the full face of the woman, whereas female markets will usually see the profile. One reason for this is what the type is being used to suggest. She seems inviting, provocative or alluring to the male viewer and suggests satisfaction or success in a male conquest for the female viewer. In other words, men are invited to think that this woman is aroused by them as others will be when he buys the product she is advertising. Women however, are invited to imagine that this woman is what they will be like if they buy the product she is advertising."
- Lusted (1988) (Yes, that really is the author's surname!)

Ogilvy (1983) has collected a list of 96 factors associated with successful advertising but has not published them all. They include use of:

• Photographs with "story appeal"
• Sexuality but only when it is relevant to the product

Lusted D. The media: Advertising. Hove, UK. Wayland 1988
Ogilvy D. Ogilvy on advertising. London, Multimedia Books 1983